The New Archbishop of Canterbury: "Businessification" of the Church.

The appointment of the new Archbishop of Canterbury shows a new departure not only in the skills required of the church leader but also in how he was appointed; though perhaps things have not changed in their media department. 

It’s always been a joke that there's nothing that leaks like the CofE! Justin Welby is the name that was reported after the last meeting of the Crown Nominations Commission and they should have managed the story better in the last 48 hours.  I do wonder who the other short-listed name was that the panel could agree on, thus delaying the announcement; we may find out – I gather there’s a role in Durham which needs filling (!) and the Archbishop of York (now 63) may not wait too much longer before retiring.  But here we are with a new ABC in the wings and a rather welcome appointment

I knew Welby when I  was at Coventry Cathedral. He was intelligent, witty and an impressive negotiator. He seemed wise beyond his years. I think it a brave choice to pick a relatively unknown man but his stance on Women Bishops and commitment to listen to, if not agree with, the gay lobby is encouraging. I think he may surprise us and be more liberal than billed.

The media has been emphasising his time in business but I wonder if they have missed something. He's now spent twice as long in the God trade as in the oil one. And business has changes a huge amount in the 20 years since he was involved in it.  What’s more significant and more of a hint of his “business-mind” is his church background. 

Welby was an early member of Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) which has successfully designed a more family-friendly, evangelical style of church.  It’s become particularly known for the Alpha course which aims to convert or grow people in the faith.  Alpha is a world-wide brand and HTB has “planted” 20 churches when it has sent staff and members to grow other failing congregations.  A true CofE success.  This model of church has been about getting the message out there and encouraging people to invest their time and money in the church.  The churches staff have already had a bishop and dean amongst its famous alumni and now has a former member in the highest role in anglicanism. 

I don’t mean for a second to suggest that it is all about the money but, rather, that there is a professionalism behind this listening exterior.  This is a man who knows the church needs to improve its image if its message is to be heard: he’s done it before at local and regional level.  Now he has to do it at a national one. 

I think the appointment proves the new system with a revised panel and no government choice has worked. They've come up with a strong, slightly less known candidate as any good recruitment process should. He's going to be more media-savy than Rowan and I think a good choice for the next decade. 

The Faith and Hope of the Polish

Today has been a day of two halves: the established, historical faith against the new, reactive faith.  Before I arrived in Poland I was aware of the different values that existed and the high-level of Catholic respect. 

And when one enters Krakow’s castle and cathedral, one sees the historical element of this.  The place where royals were crowned is beautiful and surprisingly intimate.  Religion and politics have always been interlinked with people using one to gain power over the other. 

But in the middle of the 20^th Century that was challenged by the communist regime.  The creation of an ideal communist town in the Krakow with the building of Nowa Huta was about creating a dream to challenge the old regime, including its faith.  Therefore, if the religion was to be communism, then no churches were constructed for the old Catholic faith.  On entry you see row upon row of straight, concrete blocks along wide roads.  The size and fulfilment of a vision is impressive. 

However, behind the scenes the faith continued and, after much campaigning, a church was built and dedicated by the Archbishop of Krakow, the later Pope John Paul II.  And the Arka Pana is spectacular, shaped like an ark as if to carry its people to safety.  This was about the church challenging society, challenging the norms.  This was about the church being its best. 

Just as the Catholic church was trying to say something different to this communist world, so is this building to those around.  Amongst the blocks of straight-lined concrete apartments you find the rounded, circular corners of the church.  In a world of concrete, you find natural wood and stone as if symbolising the difference between the things man constructs and the things God inspires.  The flowing lines, for me contrasted certainty with possibility.  The church building was showing the cultural change the institution of the church can bring.  Inside, the light, the materials and the images are beautiful. 

The church is being used, as I entered mid-afternoon we were scowled at as tourists disturbing the dozen people who had popped in for a moment’s prayer.  Faith is strong here, as seen in the construction of this building 30 years ago and in its continued use today.  Just as the ancient Cathedral has stood for centuries, so will this church as a powerful symbol of hope.  

Why the Pope’s Visit Makes me Feel more removed from Rome?

I remember sitting in a meeting of the Church in Wales Governing Body discussing the ordination of women. In a more frustrated moment Archbishop Barry asked those who disagree with the ordination of women on grounds of relations with Rome are damaged something like:

“Do you think that Rome pays any attention to the Church of England, let alone what we are doing here in Wales?”

And he has a point. The language used by the Vatican and indeed by the Catholic Church has always been based on a ‘top down’ notion of power. What we have seen over the last few days is a further manifestation of what the Pope sees as best for us; he sees faith as being integral to society but it is his vision rather than a vision based on the actual opinions of the people. In a similar way, in many Catholic churches (and I include those in the Anglican tradition here, too), there is a feeling that ‘Father knows best’ and that all authority comes from him. There is an argument that this idolising and rendering of the priest as ‘better’ than ‘ordinary’ people lies at many of the issues that face the catholic church. The decrease in attendance can be seen as down to the father being removed (being on his pedestal) and lacking touch with reality in a society where respect is less important. The decrease in belief that the Pope attacks can be seen as faith being a dictation process to the people rather than a listening one with the people. Even the paedophile issues are based on the priest being overly dominant and people being afraid of challenging their authority. And this is what troubles me with the Roman Catholic Church – and indeed with any alignment of the churches in this country – is the impact on free will.

There has been discussions about how the churches based in Rome and Canterbury might align but the whole discussion has been around how Anglicans can become more like Roman Catholics and not how any rapprochement could happen the other way around. Again, Rome sees it fit to dictate their form of church to other rather than perhaps revising their method of doing church. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am largely at the more catholic end of the church but acknowledge our protestant heritage, too. Any movement towards Rome would austracise so many of us and I would probably end up becoming a Methodist. All of this is highly speculative as I am not convinced any formal relations with Roman Catholics will happen in my life time.

I know I am not the first to say any of this – look at Luther just as a starting point! Yet, it is worth emphasising again the difference in our churches to do with free will and the relations between the clergy and the laity. Seeing the Pope in the UK was fascinating and allows us to reflect on our spiritual life. But as Archbishop Barry points out – don’t necessarily think Benedict XVI was listening as hard to us as we were to him: power and influence is still coming from our leaders in the Roman Church rather than from the people.

And that is probably what keeps our churches generally – and me specifically – at a distance from Rome.

Finding Hope and Meaning - and Pleasure in this Simple Read

It was a relief (and a pleasure) to read Trystan Owain Hughes’ new book “Finding Hope and Meaning in Suffering”. I once sat through a dreadful sermon where a vicar tried to explain suffering - despite an omnipotent God - being down to 'bad luck.' The sermon was neither theologically nor personally satisfying (particularly as my Mother had been diagnosed with a rapid version of Motor Neurone Disease). This book dispelled that sermon, instead providing a simple, straight-forward way of understanding and coping with the less pleasant things life throws at us. Though classified in 'Christianity & Spirituality' by Amazon, I believe its intellectual basis and appeal is far wider than those fields.


The core narrative reminds me of an arguement made by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, in an interview with John Humphries, that suffering makes sense not in human time but in God's time. In other words, during tough times, God does not abandon his people and his wisdom WILL become clear, just maybe not when we would like it to. This book takes this argument and moves it on by providing ways of coping during suffering and, consequently, shows how God may be identified in the world around us. Taking themes such as nature, art and laughter, Hughes provides us with guidance which is not only biblically based but also draws on popular films and cultural references to explain how the suffering we see might make sense.

I met Trystan at a meeting of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales and his writing in this reflects his personality: good-humoured. easy-to-talk-to and down-to-earth. During a time when my family has been touched by an unrelenting and unkind disease, his book has personally shown me by its inception and through its advice, 'that God meets us in our afflications, bringing hope and meaning at the most unlikely times.'

(Also published on the Amazon website)