This week in Christian history: Chicago Catholic school fire, Rowan Williams elected archbishop

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, November 27, 2022

Rowan Williams elected Archbishop of Canterbury – Dec. 2, 2002

Former archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. | Reuters

This week marks the anniversary of when the Rev. Rowan Williams was elected Archbishop of Canterbury, putting him in charge of both the Church of England and the overall global Anglican Communion.

Williams held the position until 2012, when he announced his resignation to pursue the post of master of Magdalene College at Cambridge University.

“His time in office has been marked by a slowly growing schism in the worldwide Anglican church, which he has failed to heal,” the Guardian reported in 2012.

“Williams has been attacked by conservatives for his liberal views on homosexuality and by liberals for failing to live up to these principles. But he has been respected on all sides for his gifts as a preacher of great eloquence and flashes of clarity.”