LONDON (Reuters) – Britain named a former oil executive as the new Archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the world’s 80 million Anglicans on Friday as the church struggles to overcome a painful rift over the issues of female bishops and same-sex marriage.
Welby, 56, who has been bishop of the northern English city of Durham for little more than a year, will replace incumbent Rowan Williams who steps down in December.
The long-awaited appointment, announced by Prime Minister David Cameron‘s office in a statement, follows weeks of intense speculation that a row over whether to choose a reformer or a safe pair of hands had stalled the nomination process.
For Welby, the move capped a meteoric rise up the Church of England hierarchy since quitting the business world and being ordained in 1992.
The bespectacled father-of-five is seen as more conservative than the liberal Williams and is widely reported to be against gay marriage but in favor of the ordination of women bishops.
(Writing by Maria Golovnina Editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
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Ex-oilman named new leader of world’s Anglicans
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Ex-oilman named new leader of world’s Anglicans
