Rowan Williams
Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth (born June 14, 1950 in Swansea , Wales ) is a British Anglican theologian and politician . He was Archbishop of Canterbury , Primate of All England from 2002 to 2012 , and in that capacity a member of the House of Lords . After leaving office, he was awarded a Life Peerage on January 8, 2013 . As a life peer, he continues to belong to the House of Lords.
Professional career
After attending Dynevor Secondary School and Christ's College in Cambridge (1971-1975) Williams began studying theology at Wadham College , Oxford . After studying for another two years at Mirfield Theological College near Leeds , he was ordained a deacon in 1977 and a priest in 1978. Effect from 1977 as tutor of the Westcott House, Cambridge, doctorate he at that time also a doctorate in theology. After serving as chaplain at S. George in Chesterton from 1980 to 1983, at the same time teaching theology in Cambridge since 1980, he became dean and chaplain of Clare College in Cambridge in 1984 . In 1986 he left this position to teach as professor of theology at Oxford until 1992 .
Already from 1981 to 1982 Canon Theologian at Leicester Cathedral, he was resident canon of Christ Church in Oxford in 1986 , from where he was raised to Bishop of Monmouth on December 5, 1991 , on May 1, 1992 in the Cathedral of St Asaph received episcopal ordination and was elected Archbishop of Wales in December 1999 . The culmination of his career was the elevation to Archbishop of Canterbury on July 23, 2002. On March 16, 2012, he announced that he would like to take up the academic position 'Master of Magdalene College' at Magdalene College in Cambridge from January 2013 , which is why he was appointed to the Resigned from his position as Archbishop of Canterbury on December 31, 2012.
The author of numerous theological and spiritual books and articles, interested in music and languages, is a member of the British Academy and the Welsh Gorsedd of Bards . Williams speaks Welsh .
family
Williams has been married to Jane Paul, who is also a theologian, since 1981. With her he has a daughter and a son.
Environmental policy
Williams takes an active part in the public debate about ways out of the climate crisis ; he signed in October 2018 an open letter to the British government a failure in climate protection is accused of the Extinction rebellion , too civil disobedience calling on the climate issue grassroots movement, is supported and a decarbonisation of the economy is required. He is also a co-signer of an open letter published in December 2018 accusing politicians of failing to address the environmental crisis and calling on people to join movements such as Extinction Rebellion and refrain from consuming.
Church politics
The liberal churchman strives for the unity of the Anglican Church and is continuing the dialogue with the Catholic Church that has been going on for almost 40 years. In a private exchange of letters from 2000 to 2002, he stated that the monogamous coexistence of same-sex couples could reflect the love of God, but as the spiritual leader of the Anglican church fellowship, he deliberately does not represent his own personal opinion on sexual issues, but rather the consensus of the Lambeth Conference of 1998 On July 7, 2008, Williams advocated the admission of women to the episcopate at the General Synod of the Church of England .
House of Lords Membership and Awards
During his time as Archbishop of Canterbury, Williams was also a member of the House of Lords as a spiritual lord . After leaving office, he was awarded a Life Peerage on January 8, 2013 with the title Baron Williams of Oystermouth, of Oystermouth in the City and County of Swansea . On January 15, 2013, he was officially inducted into his new position as a Life Peer in the House of Lords. He was accompanied by Brian Griffiths , Baron Griffiths of Fforestfach and Michael Lord, Baron Framlingham on the introduction and oath .
On December 4, 2012, Queen Elizabeth II awarded him the Royal Victorian Chain as a personal honor. He has also been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 2010 .
Relationship to Islam
Williams' critical statements on the Iraq war and Israel's Palestinian policy have been massively criticized by others. For example, in 2006 Bradley Burston, a prominent Israeli publicist, described his actions as a policy of appeasement towards Islamist terrorists and compared Williams' arguments with those of Holocaust denier David Irving .
A heated dispute sparked in 2008 his considerations in Great Britain in certain legal matters, for example in marriage law and finance law, to allow contractual regulations according to Sharia law. British law must take into account deviating loyalties. At the same time, he emphasized that there were untenable aspects: " Nobody who is right in their senses wants to see in this country the inhumanities associated with the practice of the law in some Islamic states ". His statements were also contradicted within the church.
The Archbishop of Canterbury emphasizes on his website that he did not propose the introduction of Sharia law, neither in his interview nor in his lecture, and in no way asked for it to be introduced as a parallel institution to civil law. Well-known English theologians such as NT Wright confirm that such a proposal is not included in his lecture "Civil and Religious Law in England: a Religious Perspective".
In early April 2012, Williams expressed the view that the Islamic face veil for women could "help Muslim women to become self-confident".
Publications
- Arius - Heresy and Tradition. 2nd revised edition. Wiiliam B. Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids (Michigan) / Cambridge, England 2002, ISBN 0-8028-4969-5 .
- Dostoevsky. Language, Faith and Fiction . Baylor University Press 2008. ISBN 978-1-84706-425-7 .
swell
- ↑ Press release on the official website of the Archbishop of Canterbury , accessed March 16, 2012.
- ↑ Alison Green et al. a. (2018). Facts about our ecological crisis are incontrovertible. We must take action. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/26/facts-about-our-ecological-crisis-are-incontrovertible-we-must-take-action
- ↑ Act now to prevent an environmental catastrophe. The Guardian, December 9, 2018, accessed January 22, 2019 .
- ↑ The Holy See : Joint Declaration by Pope Benedict XVI. and Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams November 23, 2006.
- ^ The Times : gay relationships 'comparable to marriage' August 7, 2008.
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7494517.stm
- ↑ Publication of the award in the London Gazette
- ^ A b Bishop of Coventry takes seat in House of Lords in: Birmingham Post, January 16, 2013
- ↑ London Gazette, January 15, 2013
- ↑ Originally in Haaretz : “The Archbishop's guide to Muslim intolerance” , December 31, 2006.
- ↑ BBC : Sharia law in UK is 'unavoidable' February 7, 2008.
- ↑ NZZ : Sharia Justice for British Muslims February 8, 2008.
- ↑ Archbishop of Canterbury wants to allow Sharia law
- ↑ Kath.net : Bishop Nazir-Ali continues to speak about Islam despite death threats on February 25, 2008.
- ↑ What did the Archbishop actually say? ( Memento from October 15, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Rowan Williams: Civil and Religious Law in England: a Religious Perspective ( Memento of July 11, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Bishop Tom Wright, Letter to Durham Clergy on Law and Public Life ( February 26, 2008 memento in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/wearing-a-veil-helps-give-muslim-women-strength-says-archbishop-8dm723z0lcw , short information about a paid article in "Sunday Times"
Web links
- Literature by and about Rowan Williams in the catalog of the German National Library
- The theology of Rowan Williams
- Enthronement of the new Archbishop of Canterbury in: Quod est dicendum
- Interview with Rowan Williams by Alan Rusbridger in: The Guardian , March 21, 2006
- Rowan Williams biography
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Royston Wright | Bishop of Monmouth 1991-2002 |
Dominic Walker |
| Alwyn Rice Jones |
Archbishop of Wales 1999–2002 |
Barry Morgan |
| George Leonard Carey |
Archbishop of Canterbury 2002–2013 |
Justin Welby |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Williams, Rowan |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Williams, Rowan Douglas, Baron Williams of Oystermouth (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English clergyman, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 14, 1950 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Swansea |