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Rowan Williams: A modern archbishop
CANTERBURY, England (Reuters) -- Rowan Williams, enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury on Thursday, looks like an archetypal Old Testament prophet but speaks like a man with his finger firmly on the pulse of contemporary life. Since September 11, 2001, when he was in New York and saw the Twin Towers collapse, he has labelled the U.S.-led bombing of Afghanistan "morally tainted" and described the prospect of war in Iraq as unacceptable and deeply disturbing. He has hit out at the capitalist "market state" and attacked everything from the Walt Disney corporation to talent shows and computer games: part of "a marketing culture that so openly feeds and colludes with obsession." On ecclesiastical issues, the 52-year-old cleric is no less forthright. He has knowingly ordained a gay man as a priest and says he favours the ordination of women as bishops. His perceived liberal views on sexuality have drawn howls of protest from evangelical conservatives and are sure to resurface during his tenure as head of the world's 70 million Anglicans. Some observers have even suggested they could open a fissure in the Church of England comparable with the split from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century. On the lighter side, Williams has a passion for "The Simpsons" television cartoon, calling it "one of the most subtle pieces of propaganda around in the cause of sense, humility and virtue." One of his clerical heroes is Father Ted, a bumbling Irish priest who starred in a popular television series in Britain. With his bushy white beard, woolly hair and fierce eyebrows, Williams cuts a distinctive figure and recently had a teddy bear modelled on him, complete with wire spectacles and an Archbishop's tall white and gold hat. Searing intelligenceWhile observers argue endlessly over his views, they tend to agree on one point -- Williams is a bright spark. He read theology at Cambridge University, published his first book before turning 30 and, at the age of 36, became the youngest theology professor in the history of Oxford University. A respected philosopher, he has a gift for vivid words, speaks seven languages including his native Welsh and has translated poetry from Welsh into English. Born in Swansea on June 14, 1950, Williams is the first Archbishop of Canterbury from outside England since the split from Rome, and the first from Wales for at least 1,000 years. He is deeply proud of his Welsh roots. During his enthronement ceremony on Thursday he was to wear a specially designed silver clasp on his robes bearing the insignia of two dragons, national symbols of Wales and England. The son of Presbyterians who named him Rowan after a tree renowned for its magic qualities, Williams was made an honorary druid at a colourful pageant in Wales last year, laughing off suggestions the title made him some sort of pagan. It did earn him a title -- honorary Druid in the Order of the White Robe of the Gorsedd of Bards. His views on Afghanistan and Iraq echo his "peacenik" past -- he was arrested in 1985 while reciting psalms on the runway of an American airbase in Britain. But he has also spoken movingly of the pain suffered by Americans during the September 11 attacks. "It can't have been silent," he said, recalling the horror of that crisp, clear New York morning. "There must have been -- I know there were -- shouts, sirens. A few minutes later there was an indescribably long roar of the second tower collapsing. But I remember it as quiet -- the very few words spoken, the ghostliness of it all." Williams has locked horns with the British government over Iraq and has warned against a drift towards "button-pushing" politics driven by opinion polls and focus groups. But despite his liberal, even radical, reputation, the married father of two school-age children insists his beliefs are grounded in traditional church teaching. "The historic role of the Church of England has been and still is making space available," he said in a speech last December, days after being confirmed as archbishop. "It is obliged just to be there, speaking a certain language, telling a certain story, witnessing to certain non-negotiable things about humanity and the context in which humanity lives." Copyright 2003 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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