London, Feb 28: Rowan Williams, a self-styled "hairy lefty" who has stirred the Church of England with high hopes for his charismatic intelligence and fears for his sometimes provocative views, was enthroned as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury.
Williams, an academic theologian and formerly the Archbishop of Wales, has generated controversy because of his protests against possible military action against Iraq, his decision to ordain a homosexual as priest, and his advocacy of women bishops.
He now leads a Church of England divided by such contrversies, and suffering a continuing decline in attendance down to about two per cent of the nation on any Sunday.
He also heads the worldwide Anglican communion, which is strong and growing in Africa but divided as within the US Episcopal Church between traditionalists and liberals.
"What do I pray for in the church of the future?" Wiliams said from the pulpit of Canterbury Cathedral.
"Confidence; courage; an imagination set on fire by the vision of God the Holy Trinity; thankfulness."
"The church of the future, I believe, will do both it prophetic and its pastoral work effectively only if it is concerned first with gratitude and joy. Orthodoxy flows from this, not the other way around, and we don't solve our deepest problems just by better discipline but by better discipleship, a fuller entry into the intimate joy of Jesus's life."
Some evangelicals in the Church of England have said they are considering looking abroad for spiritual leadership because they believe Williams disregards the Bible's teaching on homosexuality and other issues.
Bureau Report
