2006

December 2006

22 December 2006
Bethlehem's Troubles Remembered
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has reassured the people of Bethlehem that neither they, nor the pressures that they live under are forgotten in the West. During a pilgrimage to Bethlehem with other English church leaders, Dr Williams [on 22nd December 2006] addressed the city's civic representatives, stressing that problems had to be solved by people working together. One-sided solutions would not deliver justice, he said:

13 December 2006
Pilgrims Urge Prayer for the 'Little Town of Bethlehem'
Church leaders in England are today [13th December 2006] asking parish churches and congregations throughout the country to pray for 'the little town of Bethlehem' as they approach the final week of Advent - the Church's season of preparation for the celebration of the birth of the Christ child.

05 December 2006
Church Leaders to Make Pilgrimage to Bethlehem
Christian leaders have called today [6th December, 2006] for prayers throughout Advent for Christians in the Holy Land as they prepare for a pilgrimage to the birthplace of Jesus Christ. The four heads of Churches will undertake the pilgrimage in solidarity with Christians living in the Holy Land in the week leading up to Christmas. The pilgrimage is in response to invitations from Christian Churches in the Holy Land.

November 2006

23 November 2006
Rome Lecture: 'Secularism, Faith and Freedom'
This major address, on the past and future place of religion in western society and the deficiencies of the secular world view, was given at the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences in Rome on 23rd November, 2006.

23 November 2006
Archbishop and Pope: 'Our Churches Share Witness and Service'
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and the Archbishop of Canterbury today [23rd November 2006] shared worship together at the Redemptoris Mater Chapel in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. The worship followed a formal Audience in the Papal Library.

23 November 2006
Rome - Archbishop's Greeting to Pope Benedict
The following is the text of the greeting given to Pope Benedict by the Archbishop of Canterbury when he visited Rome, on 23rd November 2006, the Feast of St. Clement.

21 November 2006
'Benedict and the Future of Europe' - Speech at St Anselmo in Rome
The following is the text of an address given by the Archbishop at St Anselmo, a Benedictine institution, in Rome on 21st November, 2006. In it, the Archbishop says that modern civilisation needs to rediscover a proper sense of time, authority and participation if it is to renew its sense of purpose and enable communities to cope with modern pressures. He draws on the 6th century rule of St. Benedict to illustrate how societies might consider they served that common purpose.

16 November 2006
Archbishop Presents Top Award to Archbishop Eames
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, made a presentation of the highest award in the Anglican Communion to Archbishop Robin Eames at the service of thanksgiving for the Archbishop's twenty-year Primacy, in St Patrick's Cathedral Armagh on 16 November 2006.

08 November 2006
Archbishop's Rome Visit Itinerary - 21st-26th November 2006
The Archbishop of Canterbury and Pope Benedict XVI will have their first meeting later this month since the two met briefly following the Pope's Inauguration Mass in 2005. The private Papal Audience, on Thursday 23rd November, will be the centrepiece of Dr Williams' visit to Rome, which runs from 21st-26th November. The visit coincides with the 40th anniversary of the historic meeting between Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey in 1966.

07 November 2006
Archbishop Invests in Immunisation Bond Scheme
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams has become one of the first holders of an international finance bond designed to raise money to provide immunisation for up to 500 million of the world's poorest children. The bond has been issued by HM Treasury and is expected to raise $1 billion out of a total of $4 billion being raised over the next ten years.

October 2006

24 October 2006
Sunday Schools Change and Death Penalty Concession Amongst 'Signs of Hope' for China
The Archbishop of Canterbury has spoken of his encouragement at the changing context of church life in China. Speaking the day after he returned from a two-week visit to the country, Dr Williams said that there were enough signs of change and development to make him hopeful for the future.

24 October 2006
China - Press Conference, British Ambassadors' Residence, Beijing
The following is a transcript of the Archbishop's remarks and responses to questions asked at a press conference to mark the end of his visit to China. It took place at the British Ambassador's residence in Beijing on 24th October 2006.

22 October 2006
China - The Principles of Service: a Sermon Preached at Chaoyang Church, Beijing
The Archbishop gave the following sermon at Chaoyang Church in Beijing on 22nd October 2006, towards the end of his two-week visit to China.

13 October 2006
China - 'What is a University?' Speech Given in Wuhan
The Archbishop gave the following address at Wuhan University, China, on Friday 13th October 2006. In his address, he explores how the roots of the university system lie in the desire to nourish spiritual and moral maturity, as well as intellectual skill. He argues that this provides a continuing model for universities contribute to ongoing debates on the moral dimensions of public life both in China and in the West.

13 October 2006
China - Universities Have 'Essential Role' in Public Life
Universities fulfil an essential role and responsibility in building up a healthy society, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams has argued.

10 October 2006
China - Remarks at a Reception for Chevening Scholars
The Archbishop gave the following remarks at a reception in Nanjing, China, for Chevening Scholars, on Tuesday 10th October 2006.

10 October 2006
Archbishop - China Emerging as Senior Partner in the Fellowship of Nations
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has spoken of China's immense potential in working to solve the world's problems. Speaking at a reception for a Chevening scholars reunion in Nanjing earlier today [10th October 2006], Dr Williams emphasised that China had its place in a future which will require nations to work together more than ever:

08 October 2006
Notes from China - Day by Day Highlights and Reflections, 8th-23rd October, 2006
During his visit to China, the Archbishop's team created a diary of highlights and themes of each day:

08 October 2006
China - Sermon at the Mu En Church
The Archbishop gave the following sermon at the Mu En Church in Shanghai, China, on Sunday 8th October 2006, as part of his two-week visit to the country.

06 October 2006
Archbishop's China Itinerary - Further Details
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams is to begin a two-week visit to China this weekend [8th October 2006]. The visit is at the invitation of the senior leadership of the post-denominational Protestant Churches in China and is being hosted jointly by the Three Self Patriotic Movement/China Christian Council and the State Administration of Religious Affairs (SARA). Dr and Mrs Williams will be accompanied by the Rt Revd David Urquhart, Bishop of Birmingham, who has recently succeeded Bishop John Austin as the Archbishop of Canterbury's Episcopal Link with China.

August 2006

09 August 2006
Germany - 'One Church, One Hope' - Freiburg Lecture
The Union of Utrecht was formed in 1889 by the coming together of groupings of Old Catholic Churches in Europe. In 1931 the Bonn agreement established intercommunion between the Anglican Church and those Old Catholic Churches in the Union of Utrecht. 2006 marked the 75th anniversary of the Bonn Agreement ad events were held in Freiburg, Germany, to celebrate this. As part of this, the Archbishop of Canterbury gave the following lecture: 'One Church, One Hope', in Freiburg on Wednesday 9th August 2006.

09 August 2006
Germany - Sermon at Thanksgiving Service Marking 75 Years of Bonn Agreement
The Union of Utrecht was formed in 1889 by the coming together of groupings of Old Catholic Churches in Europe. In 1931 the Bonn agreement established intercommunion between the Anglican Church and those Old Catholic Churches in the Union of Utrecht. A service of thanksgiving on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Bonn Agreement was held in Frieburg, Germany on Wednesday 9th August 2006. The Archbishop of Canterbury gave the following sermon:

01 August 2006
Archbishop to Visit China
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams has announced today [1st August 2006] that he is to visit China this autumn. The visit is at the invitation of the senior leadership of the post-denominational Protestant Churches in China. It will take in five cities, including the capital, Beijing.

July 2006

18 July 2006
Archbishop Receives Pakistan Minister of Religious Affairs
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, received Pakistan's Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and minorities, HE Mohammad Ijaz-ul-Haq, at Lambeth Palace this morning, [18th July 2006].

March 2006

23 March 2006
Archbishop of Canterbury to visit Rome
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is to visit His Holiness Pope Benedict XVIth in Rome later this year. The visit will mark the fortieth anniversary of the Archbishop Michael Ramsey's meeting with Pope Paul VIth in 1966 and the founding of the Anglican Centre in Rome in the same year. Dr Williams met the Holy Father's predecessor, Pope John Paul II, in the autumn of 2003; he travelled to Rome in April 2005 for the funeral of Pope John Paul II and returned for the Inaugural Mass of his successor. Dr Williams and Pope Benedict met briefly the following day.

23 March 2006
Christian-Muslim Building Bridges Forum to Tackle Justice and Rights
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is to convene the fifth 'Building Bridges' seminar in Washington DC next week. More than thirty Christian and Muslim scholars from across the world will hold detailed discussions over three days. The theme of this year's seminar is 'Justice and Rights: Christian and Muslim Perspectives'.

01 March 2006
Ash Wednesday Statement on Hunger in Sudan
The Archbishop issued the following statement on Ash Wednesday [1st March 2006] whilst in Sudan. "The World Food Programme and the Anglican Church worldwide deal with the needs - the primary needs - of millions of people everyday. And in this, as in so many areas, what we need is better and better resource partnership with the organisation. Here in Africa it is impossible to think of developments goals being achieved without partnership with those organisations on the ground, which are best equipped to deliver locally. So here particularly in Sudan, with the churches, we look for further development of the partnerships that we've already seen.

February 2007

27 February 2007
Archbishop in Sudan: Religions of Peace Have to Show Trust in Each Other
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has said that the claims of both Christianity and Islam to be religions of peace need to be demonstrated through practical trust. Addressing the Sudan Inter-Religious Council in Khartoum, Dr Williams said that trust was essential when people with different views had to work together for peace. Both religions, he said, pointed to peace with God as a necessary starting point.

27 February 2006
Contribution given at the Sudan Inter-Religious Council
The Archbishop visited southern Sudan, to offer support to Christian communities and to those projects relieving the suffering of the Sudanese, especially those displaced by conflict in the north.

27 February 2006
Archbishop: Sudan 'is Not Forgotten'
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams has begun an 8 day visit to Sudan by telling the Christian commununity that they have been very much in his prayers. "Day by day we remember you in our prayers. You are not forgotten here and when I return it will be a joy to share with fellow Christians in Britain what I have seen here and what I have learnt from you."

26 February 2006
Sudan - Sermon at a Displaced Person's Camp in Khartoum
The Archbishop visited southern Sudan, to offer support to Christian communities and to those projects relieving suffering. The sermon was given at Al Gariya, an Internally Displaced Persons' Camp outside Khartoum.

26 February 2006
Address to worshippers in the compound of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, Khartoum
The Archbishop visited southern Sudan, to offer support to Christian communities and to those projects relieving the suffering of the Sudanese, especially those displaced by conflict in the north.

20 February 2007
Final Press Conference at Tanzania Primates' Meeting

18 February 2006
Press Conference, World Council of Churches Assembly, Brazil
The Archbishop gave a press conference whilst at the WCC Assembly at Porto Alegre, Brazil. The following is a transcription of his opening remarks and his responses to the varied questions asked.

18 February 2006
World Council of Churches Assembly - Globalisation, Economics and Environment
At the World Council of Churches Assembly in Porto Alegre, Brazil, the Archbishop made the following contributions to a public 'Bate Papo' (an informal conversation), with delegate Peggy Mekel of Indonesia.

17 February 2006
What We Mean By Christian Identity - World Council of Churches Address
The Archbishop of Canterbury addressed the 9th meeting of the World Council of Churches in Porto Alegre, Brazil. In his speech on 'Christian Identity and Religious Plurality', the Archbishop outlines what it means to identify oneself as a Christian.

17 February 2006
Archbishop to Encourage Peace and Development in Sudan
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is to visit Sudan next week and will mark the start of Lent - a season of fasting and penitence for the Church - by visiting UN World Food Programme locations on the White Nile. The Archbishop has been invited by the Primate of the Province of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, the Most Revd Dr Joseph Marona. During the course of the visit, Dr Williams will meet with the Government of National Unity in Sudan as well as Muslim and Christian faith leaders in both Khartoum and Southern Sudan. He will spend Ash Wednesday - a day of fasting - by taking part in barge and school distribution projects in Malakal.

16 February 2007
Archbishop Hails Tanzania's 'Impressive Progress'

13 February 2006
We Are 'Dependent on Christ': Message to World Council of Churches

18 February 2007
'Amazing Grace' - sermon given at Zanzibar Cathedral
Archbishop's sermon given at a service in Christ Church Cathedral in Zanzibar; the Eucharist was led by Archbishop Donald Mtetemela, the Primate of Tanzania, and included a commemoration marking the abolition of the slave trade.

05 February 2006
Dietrich Bonhoeffer Centenary Service, Sermon at St Matthaus Church, Berlin
This is the English translation of a German sermon at a service to mark the centenary of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's birth, at St Matthaus Church in Berlin.

04 February 2006
Dietrich Bonhoeffer Memorial, Poland - Archbishop's Speech
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Lutheran pastor, was imprisoned and executed for his opposition to the Nazi regime. This speech at the Bonhoeffer Memorial in Wroclaw, Poland, examines the enduring legacy of Bonhoeffer in the centenary year of his birth.

03 February 2006
Dietrich Bonhoeffer - Archbishop's Speech to the International Bonhoeffer Congress, Poland
In his opening address to the International Bonhoeffer Congress in Poland, the Archbishop discusses the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and his views on culture, piety and ecumenism.

January 2006

27 January 2006
Archbishop to visit Germany and Poland