ICCJ Welcomes New Anglican Archbishop and New Chief Rabbi

Our Australian member organization, the Australian Council of Christian and Jews, issued a statement that the ICCJ will echo:

“The ACCJ extends its warm congratulations to the Anglican Church in Australia and to each of its Dioceses on the installation of the Anglican Church’s new Head, the Bishop of Durham, the Most Reverend Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury this week.

Archbishop Welby is the new leader of the Anglican Church and interestingly it follows the resignation/ retirement of the prior Head, Archbishop Rowan Williams who will take up a University position as Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge.

This seems to have set a trend for resignation with the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in February which led to the installation of Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church.”

The ICCJ sends its good wishes  to the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Most Revd and Rt Hon  Justin Welby  and the Chief Rabbi designate of  Great Britain and the Commonwealth, Rabbi  Ephraim Mirvis, both Presidents of the CCJ in the UK. At this important time of transition for several religious communities, ICCJ’s hope is  that the new leadership will remain as committed to productive  inter-religious relations as were their predecessors.  The former Archbishop, Dr.Rowan Williams, did much  to further inter-religious dialogue. We should note that he worked very closely with the outgoing Chief Rabbi  Lord  Jonathan Sacks.

We wish good health and much success to Archbishop Welby and to Rabbi Mirvis. May all four of these leaders continue to use their gifts to serve God and their communities.