Downing Street has announced that the Bishop of Durham, the Rt. Rev. Justin Welby, is to succeed the Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Dr. Rowan Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury when the latter steps down at the end of this year.

“To be nominated to this post is both astonishing and exciting,” said Bishop Welby. “It is something I never expected, and the last few weeks have been a very strange experience. It is exciting because we are at one of those rare points where the tide of events is turning, and the church nationally, including the Church of England has great opportunities to match its very great but often hidden strengths,” he continued.

Educated at Eton and Trinity College Cambridge, Bishop Welby spent eleven years working in the oil industry. By the late 80s, he had become an executive at Enterprise Oil Plc and was earning a six-figure salary. But in 1987, he decided to leave the corporate world and become an Anglican priest.

After receiving a degree in theology from Cranmer Hall in Durham, he served as a curate (assistant parish priest) at All Saints Chilvers Coton with St Mary the Virgin Astley, in Nuneaton from 1992 to 1995. In 1995, he received his own parish, St. James, Southam, and in 1996 he was also given the neighboring parish of St. Michael and All Angels, Ufton.

In 2002, he became a Canon Residentiary at Coventry Cathedral and was extensively involved in reconciliation work in Africa and the Middle East. Much of his international work focused on Nigeria, where he attempted to diffuse the conflict in the Niger Delta.

Bishop Welby left the Diocese of Coventry in 2007 in order to become Dean of Liverpool Cathedral. During his time in Liverpool, he worked tirelessly to strengthen the cathedral’s ties to the local community.

Four years later, Bishop Welby was promoted to the Bishopric of Durham. Durham is one of the preeminent dioceses in the Church of England, and its bishop is automatically entitled to a seat in the House of Lords. Although Bishop Welby has been in Durham for less than a year, he gained recognition for his contributions in Parliament, and he was appointed to the Joint Select Commission on Banking Standards. In the church’s General Synod, he worked to prevent a schism over the admission of women to the episcopate.

Bishop Welby is commonly regarded as a member of the evangelical wing of the Church of England, which tends to stress traditional interpretation of the Bible. However, at a press conference held to announce his appointment, he lent his support to the ordination of female bishops. “I will be voting in favor and join my voice to many others in urging the Synod to go forward with this change,” he said.

As one might expect given his evangelical sympathies, Bishop Welby opposes the government’s plans to legalize gay marriage, calling it a complicated issue “and not one to be handled today, off the cuff.” At the same time, he has roundly condemned prejudice and discrimination against LGBT people.

“We must have no truck with any form of homophobia in any part of the Church,” he said. “I am always averse to the language of exclusion, when what we are called to is to love in the same way as Jesus Christ loves us. Above all in the Church we need to create safe spaces for these issues to be discussed in honesty and in love.”

Bishop Welby was chosen by the Crown Nominations Commission, a church body made up of bishops, clergy, and lay people. The selection process is highly secretive, and the commission’s deliberations are not made public. Ultimately, the commission presents two candidates to the Prime Minister, who then makes a formal recommendation to the Queen. Since 2007, Downing Street has always submitted the commission’s first choice to the monarch.

The process of installing Bishop Welby in office will be complex and arcane. Once the Archbishopric of Canterbury is vacant, the Queen will order the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury Cathedral to elect a new archbishop. At the same time, she will also recommend that they elect Bishop Welby. By law, the Dean and Chapter must elect the Crown’s nominee. That election will then have to be confirmed by a commission of senior bishops appointed by the Queen. From that point on, Bishop Welby will legally be Archbishop of Canterbury.

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18 months is a long time to wait for a stable home to call your own, but for Canterbury residents this has been the reality.

In September 2010 Canterbury, New Zealand was hit by the first of a series of devastating earthquakes. This earthquake, measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale, damaged many buildings, including homes throughout the region.

Canterbury residents have been hit by over 3000 aftershocks and new earthquakes since then measuring over 3.0, some of which have caused even more damages and forced residents out of their homes.

The most devastating quake in February of 2011 had a magnitude of 6.3, and killed 185 people, including exchange students from Japan, and forced the demolition of the majority of the Central Business District (CBD).

With claims being shared by the EQC, the New Zealand government, and personal insurance companies, many residents are still waiting for a resolution from claims made in September 2010.

Christchurch city resident Amanda knows she isn’t in one of the worst situations – her family is still intact, her and her partner still have their jobs and they were able to find a rental property close to their daughters’ schools while they wait to hear from EQC and their insurance company; but she is still feeling frustrated.

“I just wish I knew what was going to happen and when. I do know there are people out there in a worse situation that me and my family and they need information too” says Amanda.

Amanda has had some information from EQC but is growing tired of constant excuses and flip-flopping. She states that she has not had the same answer once when talking to an EQC representative.

She feels that “if EQC can’t act straight away at least they could give us consistent and reliable information”.

The current situation is that her house is red-zoned so needs to be torn down but the land is able to be built upon. However Amanda, her family and her house are stuck in limbo while EQC decides what they will or won’t do.

Amanda is asking those who are in the same position or know someone who is to write to or post on the Facebook page of their local MP, Prime Minister John Key, EQC or Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Gerry Brownlee.

It is disappointing for residents that a country such as New Zealand can have such a slow response to not just a one-off disaster, but a string of them. Many people who have had their claims assessed have moved either elsewhere in New Zealand or to Australia, where it is much easier to find accommodation and jobs.

Canterbury residents need help to get their voices heard!

Image Courtesy of   geoftheref

The article New Zealand: Christchurch Earthquakes – An Ongoing Crisis appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.