On 4 February, Justin Welby ceased to be Bishop of Durham, and instead takes up the position of Archbishop of Canterbury. At a ceremony, known as the ‘Confirmation of Election’, which took place in the context of an act of worship in St Paul's Cathedral, Justin Welby became the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury. He will be officially enthroned in Canterbury Cathedral 21 March 2013. The Order of Service from today's service is available from the website of St Paul's Cathedral.
We offer our prayers of support for Archbishop Welby, for what must be considered one of the toughest assignments the world has to offer!
In the meantime, his predecessor now Lord Williams is settling back into academic life. The debating chamber of the Cambridge Union was full to hear Williams and Dawkins debate the proposition 'religion has no place in the 21st Century'. The motion was defeated 324 votes against, 138 voting for the motion, with 85 abstentions.