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09 November 2012

Press release

Reaction to the new Archbishop of Canterbury from the general director of the Evangelical Alliance

Justin Welby, the current Bishop of Durham, has been introduced by the Prime Minister's Office as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, taking over from Rowan Williams when he leaves in January 2013.

On welcoming the appointment of the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Steve Clifford, general director of the Evangelical Alliance, said: "This is a huge step forward for the Church and we hope that in the coming years under Justin Welby's leadership the Church of England will continue to play a vital role in the life of the nation. We are confident he will bring unity to the Church so that it can speak with one voice.

"We'll be praying for him, and we ask all of the Church to pray for him as he prepares to take over in the new year. Justin Welby brings a rich background to this role, and in leading the Church will draw on his business experience as well as time in a wide variety of congregations across the country. It's a hugely significant time for the Church of England, and the country as a whole, and we pray that he will be a shepherd to the nation, a voice for the voiceless and a prophet to those in power."

To read more about the appointment, click here.

Media Enquiries

Danny Webster
Tel: 07766 444 650
Email: info@eauk.org

Notes to Editors

The Evangelical Alliance
We are the largest and oldest body representing the UK’s two million evangelical Christians. For more than 165 years, we have been bringing Christians together and helping them listen to, and be heard by, the government, media and society. We’re here to connect people for a shared mission, whether it’s celebrating the Bible, making a difference in our communities or lobbying the government for a better society. From Skye to Southampton, from Coleraine to Cardiff, we work across 79 denominations, 3,500 churches, 750 organisations and thousands of individual members. And we're not just uniting Christians within the UK – we are a founding member of the World Evangelical Alliance, a global network of more than 600 million evangelical Christians. For more information, go to www.eauk.org.