Rowan Williams

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Primate of All England
Williams in 2007
ChurchChurch of England
ProvinceCanterbury
DioceseCanterbury
Elected2 December 2002
Installed27 February 2003
Term ended31 December 2012 (retired)[1]
PredecessorGeorge Carey
SuccessorJustin Welby
Other post(s)Archbishop of Wales (2000–2002)
Bishop of Monmouth (1992–2002)
Orders
Ordination2 October 1977 (deacon)
2 July 1978 (priest)
by Eric Wall (deacon)
Peter Walker (priest)
Consecration1 May 1992
by Alwyn Rice Jones
Personal details
Born
Rowan Douglas Williams

(1950-06-14) 14 June 1950 (age 73)
NationalityWelsh
DenominationAnglicanism
Parents
  • Aneurin Williams
  • Delphine née Morris
Spouse
Member of the House of Lords
(life peer
)
In office
January 2013 – 31 August 2020
Academic background
EducationDynevor School, Swansea
Alma mater
moral theology
School or traditionAffirming Catholicism
Institutions

Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth,

Anglican bishop, theologian and poet. He was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, a position he held from December 2002 to December 2012.[2][3] Previously the Bishop of Monmouth and Archbishop of Wales, Williams was the first Archbishop of Canterbury in modern times not to be appointed from within the Church of England
.

Williams's primacy was marked by speculation that the Anglican Communion (in which the Archbishop of Canterbury is the leading figure) was on the verge of fragmentation over disagreements on contemporary issues such as homosexuality and the ordination of women. Williams worked to keep all sides in dialogue.[1] Notable events during his time as Archbishop of Canterbury include the rejection by a majority of dioceses of his proposed Anglican Covenant and, in the final general synod of his tenure, his unsuccessful attempt to secure a sufficient majority for a measure to allow the appointment of women as bishops in the Church of England.

Having spent much of his earlier career as an academic at the universities of

master of Magdalene College, Cambridge between 2013 and 2020.[5][6][7] He also delivered the Gifford Lectures at the University of Edinburgh
in 2013.

Magdalene College that Autumn, returning to Abergavenny, in his former diocese (Monmouthshire).[7]

Early life and ordination

Williams was born on 14 June 1950 in

starred first-class honours. He then went to Wadham College, Oxford, where he studied under A. M. Allchin and graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1975 with a thesis entitled The Theology of Vladimir Nikolaievich Lossky: An Exposition and Critique.[14]

Williams lectured and trained for ordination at the

made a deacon in the chapel by Eric Wall, Bishop of Huntingdon, at Michaelmas (2 October).[15] While there, he was ordained a priest the Petertide following (2 July 1978), by Peter Walker, Bishop of Ely, at Ely Cathedral.[16]

Private life

On 4 July 1981, Williams married Jane Paul, a writer and lecturer in theology.[17] They have two children.[18]

Career

Early academic career and pastoral ministry

Williams did not have a formal

canonry of Christ Church Cathedral. In 1989 he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity (DD) and, in 1990, was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA).[19]

Episcopal ministry

On 5 December 1991, Williams was elected Bishop of Monmouth in the Church in Wales: he was consecrated a bishop on 1 May 1992 at St Asaph Cathedral and enthroned at Newport Cathedral on 14 May. He continued to serve as Bishop of Monmouth after he was elected to also be the Archbishop of Wales in December 1999, in which capacity he was enthroned again at Newport Cathedral on 26 February 2000.[20]

In 2002, he was announced as the successor to George Carey as Archbishop of Canterbury — the senior bishop in the Church of England. The Archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity recognised as primus inter pares ("first among equals") but does not exercise authority in Anglican provinces outside the Church of England. As a bishop of the disestablished Church in Wales, Williams was the first Archbishop of Canterbury since the English Reformation to be appointed to this office from outside the Church of England. His election by the Chapter of Canterbury Cathedral was confirmed by nine bishops in the customary ceremony in London on 2 December 2002, when he officially became Archbishop of Canterbury.[21] He was enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral on 27 February 2003 as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury.

National Assembly for Wales
, March 2012

The translation of Williams to Canterbury was widely canvassed. As a bishop he had demonstrated a wide range of interests in social and political matters and was widely regarded, by academics and others, as a figure who could make Christianity credible to the intelligent unbeliever. As a patron of Affirming Catholicism, his appointment was a considerable departure from that of his predecessor and his views, such as those expressed in a widely published lecture on homosexuality were seized on by a number of evangelical and conservative Anglicans.[citation needed] The debate had begun to divide the Anglican Communion, however, and Williams, in his new role as its leader was to have an important role.

As Archbishop of Canterbury, Williams acted

Roehampton.[24]

Williams speaks or reads eleven languages: English, Welsh, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Biblical Hebrew, Syriac, Latin, and both Ancient (koine) and Modern Greek.[25][26] He learnt Russian in order to be able to read the works of Dostoevsky in the original.[27] He has since described his spoken German as a "disaster area" and said that he is "a very clumsy reader and writer of Russian".[28]

Williams is also a poet and translator of poetry. His collection The Poems of Rowan Williams, published by Perpetua Press, was longlisted for the

druidic ceremonial but is actually not religious in nature.[29]

In 2005,

King Henry VIII,[34] was interpreted as a confession by the bride and groom of past sins, albeit without specific reference[33] and going "some way towards acknowledging concerns" over their past misdemeanours.[34]

Williams officiated at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on 29 April 2011.[35]

On 16 November 2011, Williams attended a

Prince Charles, Patron of the King James Bible Trust.[36][37]

To mark the ending of his tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury, Williams presented a BBC television documentary about Canterbury Cathedral, in which he reflected upon his time in office. Entitled Goodbye to Canterbury, the programme was screened on 1 January 2013.[38]

2010 General Synod address

On 9 February 2010, in an address to the

gay priests could lead to a permanent split in the Anglican Communion. He stressed that he did not "want nor relish" the prospect of division and called on the Church of England and Anglicans worldwide to step back from a "betrayal" of God's mission and to put the work of Christ before schism. But he conceded that, unless Anglicans could find a way to live with their differences over women as bishops and homosexual ordination, the church would change shape and become a multi-tier communion of different levels – a schism in all but name.[39]

Williams also said that "it may be that the covenant creates a situation in which there are different levels of relationship between those claiming the name of Anglican. I don’t at all want or relish this, but suspect that, without a major change of heart all round, it may be an unavoidable aspect of limiting the damage we are already doing to ourselves." In such a structure, some churches would be given full membership of the Anglican Communion, while others had a lower-level form of membership, with no more than observer status on some issues. Williams also used his keynote address to issue a profound apology for the way that he had spoken about "exemplary and sacrificial" gay Anglican priests in the past. "There are ways of speaking about the question that seem to ignore these human realities or to undervalue them," he said. "I have been criticised for doing just this, and I am profoundly sorry for the carelessness that could give such an impression."[39]

Subsequent academic career

On 17 January 2013, Williams was admitted as the 35th

Professor of Contemporary Christian Thought by the University of Cambridge in 2017.[41][42] On 18 June 2013, the University of South Wales announced his appointment as its new chancellor, the ceremonial head of the university.[43]

In 2015, it was reported that Williams had written a play called Shakeshafte, about a meeting between

Jesuit priest and martyr. Williams suspects that Shakespeare was Catholic, though not a regular churchgoer.[44] The play took to the stage in July 2016 and was received favourably.[45]

Patronage

Williams is patron of the Canterbury Open Centre run by

WaveLength Charity
, a UK-wide organisation which gives TVs and radios to isolated and vulnerable people; every Archbishop of Canterbury since the charity's inception in 1939 has actively participated in this role.

Williams is also patron of the T. S. Eliot Society[48] and delivered the society's annual lecture in November 2013.

Williams was also patron of the Birmingham-based charity The Feast,[49] from 2010 until his retirement as Archbishop of Canterbury.

Williams has been a patron of the Cogwheel Trust,[50] a local Cambridgeshire charity providing affordable counselling, since 2015 and is active in his support.

On 1 May 2013 he became chair of the board of trustees of Christian Aid.[51] He is the Chair of Trustees of the Council for the Defence of the British Universities (CDBU).[52]

Together with

Grey Ruthven, 2nd Earl of Gowrie, and Sir Daniel Day-Lewis, Williams is a patron of the Wilfred Owen Association, formed in 1989 to commemorate the life and work of the World War I poet Wilfred Owen.[53]

He is the visitor of the

new monastic Holywell Community in Abergavenny
.

He is also a patron of the Fellowship of Saint Alban and Saint Sergius which promotes ecumenical relationships between the Anglican and Orthodox churches.

Theology

Williams, a scholar of the Church Fathers and a historian of Christian spirituality, wrote in 1983 that orthodoxy should be seen "as a tool rather than an end in itself..." It is not something which stands still. Thus "old styles come under increasing strain, new speech needs to be generated".[54] He sees orthodoxy as a number of "dialogues": a constant dialogue with Christ, crucified and risen; but also that of the community of faith with the world – "a risky enterprise", as he writes. "We ought to be puzzled", he says, "when the world is not challenged by the gospel." It may mean that Christians have not understood the kinds of bondage to which the gospel is addressed.[55] He has also written that "orthodoxy is inseparable from sacramental practice... The eucharist is the paradigm of that dialogue which is 'orthodoxy'".[56] This stance may help to explain both his social radicalism and his view of the importance of the Church, and thus of the holding together of the Anglican communion over matters such as homosexuality: his belief in the idea of the Church is profound.

John Shelby Spong once accused Williams of being a "neo-medievalist", preaching orthodoxy to the people in the pew but knowing in private that it is not true.[57] In an interview with the magazine Third Way, Williams responded:

I am genuinely a lot more conservative than he would like me to be. Take the Resurrection. I think he has said that of course I know what all the reputable scholars think on the subject and therefore when I talk about the risen body I must mean something other than the empty tomb. But I don't. I don't know how to persuade him, but I really don't.[58]

Although generally considered an

Anglo-Catholic, Williams has broad sympathies. One of his first publications, in the largely evangelical Grove Books series, has the title Eucharistic Sacrifice: The Roots of a Metaphor.[59]

Moral theology

Williams's contributions to

Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, and which is now part of a series of essays collected in the book Theology and Sexuality (ed. Eugene Rogers, Blackwells 2002). At the Lambeth Conference in July 1998, then Bishop Rowan Williams of Monmouth abstained and did not vote in favour of the conservative resolution on human sexuality.[61] These actions, combined with his initial support for openly gay Canon Jeffrey John
, gained him support among liberals and caused frustration for conservatives.

Social views

Williams speaking at the 2010 World Economic Forum in Davos

His interest in and involvement with social issues is longstanding. While chaplain of Clare College, Cambridge, Williams took part in anti-nuclear demonstrations at United States bases. In 1985, he was arrested for singing psalms as part of a protest organised by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament at Lakenheath, an American air base in Suffolk; his fine was paid by his college. At this time he was a member of the left-wing Anglo-Catholic Jubilee Group headed by Kenneth Leech and he collaborated with Leech in a number of publications including the anthology of essays to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Oxford Movement entitled Essays Catholic and Radical in 1983.

He was in New York at the time of

Al Qaeda, he said that terrorists "can have serious moral goals"[62] and that "Bombast about evil individuals doesn't help in understanding anything."[63] He subsequently worked with Muslim leaders in England and on the third anniversary of 9/11 spoke, by invitation, at the Al-Azhar University Institute in Cairo on the subject of the Trinity. He stated that the followers of the will of God should not be led into ways of violence. He contributed to the debate prior to the 2005 general election criticising assertions that immigration was a cause of crime. Williams has argued that the partial adoption of Islamic sharia law in the United Kingdom is "unavoidable" as a method of arbitration in such affairs as marriage, and should not be resisted.[64][65][66]

Williams in conversation with Burhanuddin, an Indian Islamic leader, in London (2010)

On 15 November 2008 Williams visited the

Balaji Temple in Tividale, West Midlands, on a goodwill mission to represent the friendship between Christianity and Hinduism.[67] On 6 May 2010 Williams met Indian Islamic leader, Mohammed Burhanuddin, at Huseini Mosque in Northolt, London, to discuss the need for interfaith co-operation; and planted a "tree of faith" in the mosque's grounds to signify the many commonalities between the two religions.[68]

Economics

In 2002, Williams delivered the Richard Dimbleby lecture and chose to talk about the problematic nature of the nation-state but also of its successors. He cited the "market state" as offering an inadequate vision of the way a state should operate, partly because it was liable to short-term and narrowed concerns (thus rendering it incapable of dealing with, for instance, issues relating to the degradation of the natural environment) and partly because a public arena which had become value-free was liable to disappear amidst the multitude of competing private interests. (He noted the same moral vacuum in British society after his visit to China in 2006.) He is not uncritical of communitarianism, but his reservations about consumerism have been a constant theme. These views have often been expressed in quite strong terms; for example, he once commented that "Every transaction in the developed economies of the West can be interpreted as an act of aggression against the economic losers in the worldwide game."[69]

Williams has supported the Robin Hood tax campaign since March 2010, re-affirming his support in a November 2011 article he published in the Financial Times.[70][71][72] He is also a vocal opponent of tax avoidance and a proponent of corporate social responsibility, arguing that "economic growth and prosperity are about serving the human good, not about serving private ends".[73]

Iraq War and possible attack on Syria or Iran

Williams was to repeat his opposition to American action in October 2002 when he signed a petition against the

UK government policy and criticising the coalition troops' conduct in Iraq. The letter cited the abuse of Iraqi detainees, which was described as having been "deeply damaging" — and stated that the government's apparent double standards "diminish the credibility of western governments".[74][75] In December 2006 he expressed doubts in an interview on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 about whether he had done enough to oppose the war.[76]

On 5 October 2007, Williams visited Iraqi refugees in Syria. In a BBC interview after his trip he described advocates of a United States attack on Syria or Iran as "criminal, ignorant and potentially murderous".

John R. Bolton had called for the bombing of Iran at a fringe meeting of the Conservative Party conference.[79] In Williams's Humanitas Programme lecture at the University of Oxford in January 2014, he "characterized the impulse to intervene as a need to be seen to do something rather than nothing" and advocated for "a religiously motivated nonviolence which refuses to idolise human intervention in all circumstances."[80]

Unity of the Anglican Communion

Williams visiting Pakistan in 2005

Williams became Archbishop of Canterbury at a particularly difficult time in the relations of the churches of the Anglican Communion. His predecessor, George Carey, had sought to keep the peace between the theologically conservative primates of the communion such as Peter Akinola of Nigeria and Drexel Gomez of the West Indies and liberals such as Frank Griswold, the then primate of the US Episcopal Church.

In 2003, in an attempt to encourage dialogue, Williams appointed

Primate of All Ireland, as chairman of the Lambeth Commission on Communion, to examine the challenges to the unity of the Anglican Communion, stemming from the consecration of Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire, and the blessing of same-sex unions in the Diocese of New Westminster. (Robinson was in a same-sex relationship.) The Windsor Report
, as it was called, was published in October 2004. It recommended solidifying the connection between the churches of the communion by having each church ratify an "Anglican Covenant" that would commit them to consulting the wider communion when making major decisions. It also urged those who had contributed to disunity to express their regret.

In November 2005, following a meeting of Anglicans of the "global south" in Cairo at which Williams had addressed them in conciliatory terms, 12 primates who had been present sent him a letter sharply criticising his leadership which said that "We are troubled by your reluctance to use your moral authority to challenge the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada."[81] The letter acknowledged his eloquence but strongly criticised his reluctance to take sides in the communion's theological crisis and urged him to make explicit threats to those more liberal churches. Questions were later asked about the authority and provenance of the letter as two additional signatories' names had been added although they had left the meeting before it was produced. Subsequently, the Church of Nigeria appointed an American cleric to deal with relations between the United States and Nigerian churches outside the normal channels. Williams expressed his reservations about this to the General Synod of the Church of England.

Williams later established a working party to examine what a "covenant" between the provinces of the Anglican Communion would mean in line with the Windsor Report.

Position on Freemasonry

In a leaked private letter, Williams said that he "had real misgivings about the compatibility of Masonry and Christian profession" and that while he was Bishop of Monmouth he had prevented the appointment of Freemasons to senior positions within his diocese. The leaking of this letter in 2003 caused a controversy, which he sought to defuse by apologising for the distress caused and stating that he did not question "the good faith and generosity of individual Freemasons", not least as his father had been a Freemason. However, he also reiterated his concern about Christian ministers adopting "a private system of profession and initiation, involving the taking of oaths of loyalty."[82]

Opinion about hijab and terrorism

Williams objected to a proposed French law banning the wearing of the hijab, a traditional Islamic headscarf for women, in French schools. He said that the hijab and any other religious symbols should not be outlawed.[83]

Williams also spoke up against the

The initial blame was placed on Al-Qaeda, but Muslims at large were targeted for reprisals: four mosques in England were assaulted and Muslims were verbally insulted in streets and their cars and houses were vandalised. Williams strongly condemned the terrorist attacks and stated that they could not be justified. However, he added that "any person can commit a crime in the name of religion and it is not particularly Islam to be blamed. Some persons committed deeds in the name of Islam but the deeds contradict Islamic belief and philosophy completely."[84]

Creationism

Williams responded to a controversy regarding creationism being taught in privately sponsored academies saying that it should not be presented in schools as an alternative to evolution.[85] When asked if he was comfortable with the teaching of creationism, he said "I think creationism is, in a sense, a kind of category mistake, as if the Bible were a theory like other theories" and "My worry is creationism can end up reducing the doctrine of creation rather than enhancing it."[86]

Williams has maintained traditional support amongst Anglicans and their leaders for the teaching of evolution as fully compatible with Christianity. This support has dated at least back to Frederick Temple's tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury.[87]

Interview with Emel magazine

In November 2007, Williams gave an interview for

salat
ritual of five prayers a day, but said in Muslim nations, the "present political solutions aren't always very impressive".

Sharia law

Williams was the subject of a media and press furore in February 2008 following a lecture he gave to the Temple Foundation at the

Orthodox Jewish practice (beth din) and with the recognition of the exercise of conscience of Christians.[89]

Williams's words were critically interpreted as proposing a parallel jurisdiction to the civil law for Muslims (Sharia) and were the subject of demands from elements of the press and media for his resignation.[91] He also attracted criticism from elements of the Anglican Communion.[92]

In response, Williams stated in a BBC interview that "certain provision[s] of sharia are already recognised in our society and under our law; ... we already have in this country a number of situations in which the internal law of religious communities is recognised by the law of the land as justified conscientious objections in certain circumstances in providing certain kinds of social relations" and that "we have

Orthodox Jewish courts operating in this country legally and in a regulated way because there are modes of dispute resolution and customary provisions which apply there in the light of Talmud."[93] Williams also denied accusations of proposing a parallel Islamic legal system within Britain.[92] Williams also said of sharia: "In some of the ways it has been codified and practised across the world, it has been appalling and applied to women in places like Saudi Arabia, it is grim."[94]

Williams's position received more support from the legal community, following a speech given on 4 July 2008 by

Nicholas Phillips, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. He supported the idea that sharia could be reasonably employed as a basis for "mediation or other forms of alternative dispute resolution". He went further to defend the position Williams had taken earlier in the year, explaining that "It was not very radical to advocate embracing sharia law in the context of family disputes, for example, and our system already goes a long way towards accommodating the archbishop's suggestion."; and that "It is possible in this country for those who are entering into a contractual agreement to agree that the agreement shall be governed by a law other than English law."[95] However, some concerns have been raised over the question of how far "embracing" sharia law would be compliant with the UK's obligation under human rights law.[96]

In March 2014, the Law Society of England and Wales issued instructions on how to draft sharia-compliant wills for the network of sharia courts which has grown up in Islamic communities to deal with disputes between Muslim families, and so Williams's idea of sharia in the UK was, for a time, seen to bear fruit.[97] The instructions were withdrawn in November 2014.

Comments on the British government

On 8 June 2011, Williams said that the British government was committing Britain to "radical, long-term policies for which no-one voted". Writing in the

abuses of the system".[98] In response, David Cameron said that he "profoundly disagreed" with Williams's claim that the government was forcing through "radical policies for which no one voted". Cameron said that the government was acting in a "good and moral" fashion and defended the "Big Society" and the coalition's deficit reduction, welfare and education plans. "I am absolutely convinced that our policies are about actually giving people a greater responsibility and greater chances in their life, and I will defend those very vigorously", he said. "By all means let us have a robust debate but I can tell you, it will always be a two-sided debate."[99]

On 26 November 2013, at Clare College, Cambridge, Williams gave the annual T. S. Eliot Lecture, with the title Eliot's Christian Society and the Current Political Crisis. In this, he recalled the poet's assertion that a competent agnostic would make a better prime minister than an incompetent Christian. "I don't know what he would make of our present prime minister", he said. "I have a suspicion that he might have approved of him. I don't find that a very comfortable thought."[100]

Comments on antisemitism

In August 2017, Williams condemned antisemitism and backed a petition to remove the works of David Irving and other Holocaust denial books from the University of Manchester.[101] In a letter to the university, Williams said "At a time when there is, nationally and internationally, a measurable rise in the expression of extremist views I believe this question needs urgent attention."[102]

Climate and ecological crisis

In October 2018, he signed the call to action supporting Extinction Rebellion.[103]

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

In March 2022, following the

Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia to call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and the re-opening of diplomatic engagement.[104] On 3 April, on BBC Radio 4's Sunday programme, Williams said there was a strong case for expelling the Russian Orthodox Church from the World Council of Churches, saying, "When a Church is actively supporting a war of aggression, failing to condemn nakedly obvious breaches of any kind of ethical conduct in wartime, then other Churches do have the right to raise the question… I am still waiting for any senior member of the Orthodox hierarchy to say that the slaughter of the innocent is condemned unequivocally by all forms of Christianity."[105]

On 12 April 2022, Williams called for an Easter ceasefire in Ukraine. He gave his remarks in Chernivtsi, at the "Faith in Ukraine" event, organised by the Elijah Interfaith Institute and the Peace Department.[106]

LGBT rights

In April 2022, Williams and several other UK religious leaders signed an open letter to the then-prime minister Boris Johnson, urging him to include a ban on conversion therapy targeting transgender people alongside planned legislation to ban conversion therapy targeting sexuality.[107]

Ecumenism

Williams and Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II at the Armenian genocide monument in Yerevan for a torch lighting ceremony for the genocide victims in Darfur. The two men are standing on purple cloth.

Williams did his doctoral work on the mid-20th-century Russian Orthodox theologian Vladimir Lossky.[14] He is currently patron of the Fellowship of Saint Alban and Saint Sergius, an ecumenical forum for Orthodox and Western (primarily Anglican) Christians. He has expressed his continuing sympathies with Orthodoxy in lectures and writings since that time.

Williams has written on the Spanish Catholic mystic

state visit to the United Kingdom in September 2010, the two led a service together at Westminster Abbey.[108]

Williams said in April 2010 that the child

Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, who said that "Those working for renewal in the Catholic Church in Ireland did not need this comment on this Easter weekend and do not deserve it".[109]

Honours and awards

Styles

  • 1950–1975: Mr Rowan Williams
  • 1975–1977:
    Dr
    Rowan Williams
  • 1977–1986: The Rev'd Dr Rowan Williams
  • 1986–1991: The Rev'd Canon Prof Rowan Williams
  • 1991–1999: The Rt Rev'd Dr Rowan Williams
  • 1999–2003: The Most Rev'd Dr Rowan Williams
  • 2003–2012: The Most Rev'd and
    Rt Hon
    Dr
    Rowan Williams
  • 2012–2017: The Rt Rev'd and Rt Hon The Lord Williams of Oystermouth
  • 2017–: The Rt Rev'd and Rt Hon Prof The Lord Williams of Oystermouth[citation needed]

Arms

Coat of arms of Rowan Williams
Notes
Williams's family arms as archbishop.
Escutcheon
Per Pale Gules and Azure a Chevron Ermine between three Lions Passant Guardant armed within Roundels Or all counterchanged
Motto
Cultus Dei Sapientia Hominis
(
Latin
: "The worship of God is the wisdom of man")
Other elements
The exterior heraldic ornaments pertaining to a Church of England archbishop.

Works

Forewords and afterwords

References

  1. ^ a b "Profile: Dr Rowan Williams". News.bbc.co.uk. 8 February 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams to stand down". BBC News. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  3. ^ "Archbishop of Canterbury: Vote to confirm Justin Welby". BBC News. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  4. ^ See Profile of Master Archived 27 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine at Magdalene College, Cambridge; BBC Russian.com interview with Williams: ``Я читаю на девяти или десяти языках, но говорю только на трех.`` ("I read nine or ten languages, but speak only three.")
  5. ^ "Archbishop of Canterbury to be Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge". Archbishopofcanterbury.org. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  6. ^ "University merger 11 April 2013". Southwalesargus.co.uk. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  7. ^ a b c "Farewell Rowan and Jane Williams". Magdalene College. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Peerage for the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury - GOV.UK". Number10.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  9. ^ a b "No. 60389". The London Gazette. 11 January 2013. p. 477.
  10. ^ "Introduction: Lord Williams of Oystermouth". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). UK: House of Lords. 15 January 2013. col. 585. Retrieved 18 January 2013. "Lords Hansard text for 15 Jan 201315 Jan 2013 (Pt 0001)". Archived from the original on 25 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ^ "Lord Williams of Oystermouth". UK Parliament. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  12. ^ "About Rowan Williams". Archbishop of Canterbury. Archived from the original on 6 January 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
  13. ^ "A student's brush with Orthodoxy". Churchtimes.co.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  14. ^
    OCLC 863503770
    . Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  15. . Retrieved 26 June 2018 – via UK Press Online archives.
  16. . Retrieved 26 June 2018 – via UK Press Online archives.
  17. .
  18. ^ "Who's Who". 7 May 2010. Archived from the original on 7 May 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  19. ^ "British Academy website". Britac.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  20. ^ "About Rowan Williams". Archbishopofcanterbury.org. Archived from the original on 4 July 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  21. ^ "Archbishop Rowan Williams confirmed in office as Archbishop of Canterbury". ArchbishopofCanterbury.org. 2 December 2002. Archived from the original on 15 January 2003. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  22. ^ "Charterhouse | Charterhouse". 26 September 2011. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  23. ^ "About Oxford, Annual Review". www.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2 May 2001. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  24. ^ [1][dead link]
  25. ^ "The Religion Report: 5 March 2003 – Homosexuality and the churches, pt. 2". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
  26. ^ "Archbishop's New Statesman magazine interview". The Archbishop of Canterbury. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  27. BBCRussian.com
    . Retrieved 16 November 2008. ... он [Роуэн Уильямс] овладел русским специально для того, чтобы изучать Достоевского в оригинале.
  28. ^ "Interview: Rowan Williams". Tcs.cam.ac.uk. 22 January 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  29. ^ "Archbishop becomes druid". BBC News. 5 August 2002. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
  30. ^ "Divorce and the church: how Charles married Camill". The Times. 28 November 2017.[permanent dead link]
  31. ^ Left, Sarah (10 February 2005). "Charles and Camilla to Marry". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  32. ^ Williams, Rowan (10 February 2005). "Statement of support". Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  33. ^ a b "Charles and Camilla to confess past sins". Fox News. 9 April 2005. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  34. ^ a b Brown, Jonathan (7 April 2005). "Charles and Camilla to repent their sins". Independent.
  35. ^ "The Archbishop of Canterbury on the Royal Wedding". Rowanwilliams.archbishopofcanterbury.org. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  36. ^ "King James Bible: Queen marks 400th anniversary". BBC News. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  37. ^ "Archbishop Hails King James Bible". EXPRESS UK News. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  38. ^ "BBC Two: Goodbye to Canterbury". BBC. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
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External links

Church in Wales titles
Preceded by Bishop of Monmouth
1992–2002
Succeeded by
Preceded by Archbishop of Wales
1999–2002
Succeeded by
Church of England titles
Preceded by Archbishop of Canterbury
2002–2012
Succeeded by
Academic offices
Preceded by Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity
1986–1991
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge

2013–2020
Succeeded by