Justin Welby named as archbishop

9 November 2012 Last updated at 07:11 ET

The next Archbishop of Canterbury has set out his support for the ordination of women bishops as his appointment was officially confirmed.

The Bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev Justin Welby, 56, said his appointment as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury was "astonishing and exciting".

He replaces Rowan Williams who is retiring in December after 10 years.

He will take on the Church of England's most senior post at a ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral on 21 March 2013.

Commenting on the speculation that had preceded the announcement he told a press conference at Lambeth Palace: "Well, that was the best-kept secret since the last cabinet reshuffle."

"It's something I never expected, and the last few weeks have been a rather strange experience, to put it mildly."

He added: "One of the biggest challenges is to follow a man who I believe will be recognised as one of the greatest Archbishops of Canterbury, Rowan Williams."

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Analysis

John McManus BBC News

Justin Welby's appearance was characterised by one very important quality - his steeliness.

You could hear it in his voice as he spoke about the challenges facing the Church and what he hoped to bring to the table.

And it was also apparent in the straightforward way he spoke about engaging with the gay community, and his clear backing for women bishops.

He very neatly dodged a question from me about conflict resolution in the Church, but also showed he had a sense of humour, telling journalists the difference between him and Rowan Williams was that he had a better barber - and razor.

Bishop Welby addressed several controversial issues, including stating he would be voting in favour of ordaining women bishops in the Church of England, which has been a divisive issue in recent years.

He said he felt positive about the future although the Church had major issues ahead, including same-sex marriage. He said he hoped the different groups could "disagree in love" and safely debate their differences.

The Most Reverend Rowan Williams said he was delighted by the appointment.

"I have had the privilege of working closely with him on various occasions and have always been enriched and encouraged by the experience," he said.

"He has an extraordinary range of skills and is a person of grace, patience, wisdom and humour. He will bring to this office both a rich pastoral experience and a keen sense of international priorities, for Church and world."

Special envoy

Prime Minister David Cameron, who confirmed Bishop Welby's appointment via Twitter, said he "wished him success in his new role".

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, who had been one of the other contenders for the post, described Bishop Welby as a clergyman with "many gifts and unique experience to bring to this daunting office".

He said: "More importantly he, like Archbishop Rowan, is a man of God. I have been praying for him, will go on doing so with renewed vigour, and will continue to work with him as a brother and friend in Christ."

Bishop Welby was educated at Eton and Cambridge University, and then spent 11 years in the oil industry before studying theology at Durham. He was ordained in 1992.

He became Rector of Southam in 1995 and was later appointed canon residentiary of Coventry Cathedral. He left the area in 2007 when he was appointed Dean of Liverpool.

He took up the post of Bishop of Durham in November 2011 and worked as Rowan Williams' special envoy to Africa, attempting to build unity between Christian and Muslim communities in Nigeria.

Bishop Welby is regarded by observers as being on the evangelical wing of the Church, closely adhering to traditional interpretations of the Bible with a strong emphasis on making the Church outward-looking.

Even within the evangelical community, however, there are significant differences of outlook on questions of doctrine.

The Crown Nominations Commission, which nominates two candidates to the prime minister, who then advises the Queen on the appointment, held a three-day meeting in September to consider the contenders to be the next archbishop, but no announcement followed.

Dr Williams' successor will become the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury, and the nominal leader of 77 million Anglicans worldwide - though conservative Anglican provinces, especially in Africa, have been setting up alternative organisational structures of their own.

Archbishops of Canterbury: How they compare
Name	Age *	Bishop for	Diocese	Education	Job before ordination
Source: Lambeth Palace *Age at nomination
Justin Welby	56	1 year	Durham	Eton College	Oil executive
Rowan Williams 2002-present	52	10 years	Monmouth	Dyvenor School, Swansea	Academic
George Carey 1991-2002	54	3 years	Bath and Wells	Bifrons Secondary Modern, Barking	London Electricity Board and RAF
Robert Runcie 1980-1991	58	10 years	St Albans	Merchant Taylors, Liverpool	None but saw active service in WWII
Donald Coggan 1974-1980	64	15 years	Bradford, York	Merchant Taylors, London	None
Michael Ramsey 1961-1974	56	9 years	Durham, York	Repton School	None