DR ROWAN WILLIAMS hinted at future confrontation with the Government after being named as the next Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday when he insisted he would only support military action on Iraq which had been cleared by the United Nations.
Dr Williams, who is currently Archbishop of Wales, recently signed an open letter condemning any possible attack on Iraq.
He also said he had no regrets about taking part in direct action against nuclear weapons in a protest organised by CND during the 1980s.
The Archbishop outlined his vision for the future of the Church of England, saying that he was determined that Christianity should once again “capture the imagination of our culture”.
Dr Williams, 52, who will step down as Archbishop of Wales at the end of November and be enthroned at Canterbury next spring, said he felt “rather overwhelmed” by the task ahead and a sense of “enormous inadequacy and challenge”.
Although frightened by the huge expectations the job carries, he indicated that he would not shirk political controversy.
Dr Williams, speaking at a press conference at Church House after he was named by Downing Street as the successor to Dr George Carey, admitted he had entertained doubts about accepting the job.
“I think frankly you would be a maniac not to have doubts about accepting a job of this kind,” he said.
He described the challenge of taking up his new post “in the middle of a culture which, while it may show a good deal of nostalgia, fascination and even hunger for the spiritual, is generally sceptical of Christianity and the Church.”
He made it clear that one priority will be leading his diocese. He described the danger of treating the Archbishop of Canterbury as a “sort of Pope” whose primary task was to govern the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Tony Blair welcomed the appointment of Dr Williams and defended his right to speak out on controversial issues.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Mr Blair believes the Archbishop’s wisdom, intellectual stature and deep spirituality will all be invaluable as he seeks to lead the Anglican Church in ever more complex and challenging times.
“It is fair to say that members of the Church have commented on a range of social and global issues over the years: that is their right and prerogative. The Government may not always agree with everything that is said but people are always perfectly at liberty to state their views.”
The present Archbishop, Dr Carey, who retires at the end of October, said: “Rowan will bring to this demanding office great abilities as a theologian and as an experienced Primate of the Anglican Communion.”
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, said: “As a theologian of distinction, a man of deep spirituality and a gifted communicator he will prove to be a force for great good in this country and throughout the Christian world.”
The President of the Methodist Conference, the Rev Ian White, said: “His appointment comes at a significant moment in the life of our two Churches as we enter into conversations on a covenant between us and explore the partnership of our two traditions.”
The Chief Rabbi, Dr Jonathan Sacks, said: “Rowan Williams is a quite exceptional thinker and man of God, and I look forward to the same warm friendship that I had with his predecessor, which did so much to improve Jewish-Christian relationships.”