Champion of Christianity
Champion of Christianity, the man who should be No1
PROFILE John Sentamu
The murmurs of disquiet have been growing in insistence for weeks, but now they have burst into the open. A clamour of voices is calling for a new leader of the Church of England who will stand up against the attacks on Christian culture. Step forward John Sentamu, the Archbishop of Canterbury-in-waiting.
The contrast between the charismatic Archbishop of York and Rowan Williams, the cerebral and prevaricating occupant of Lambeth Palace, sprang into sharp relief last week. As MPs and the public rallied to Sentamu’s withering attack on British Airways for banning an employee from openly wearing a cross at work, Williams chose to travel with BA for a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican.
The BA controversy, which culminated in the airline’s decision to reconsider its policy, was only the latest occasion when Williams has been accused of muddle and appeasement while Sentamu, who ranks second in the church hierarchy, offered a clear and unapologetic message of principle. Earlier this month, the country’s first black archbishop questioned the right of Muslim women to wear the veil in public, saying it did not “conform to norms of decency”. He said: “I think in British society you can wear what you want, but you can’t expect British society to be reconfigured around you.” His comments put him at odds with Williams, who defended the right of Muslim women to wear the full veil.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...8-2471915.html
Champion of Christianity, the man who should be No1
PROFILE John Sentamu
The contrast between the charismatic Archbishop of York and Rowan Williams, the cerebral and prevaricating occupant of Lambeth Palace, sprang into sharp relief last week. As MPs and the public rallied to Sentamu’s withering attack on British Airways for banning an employee from openly wearing a cross at work, Williams chose to travel with BA for a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican.
The BA controversy, which culminated in the airline’s decision to reconsider its policy, was only the latest occasion when Williams has been accused of muddle and appeasement while Sentamu, who ranks second in the church hierarchy, offered a clear and unapologetic message of principle. Earlier this month, the country’s first black archbishop questioned the right of Muslim women to wear the veil in public, saying it did not “conform to norms of decency”. He said: “I think in British society you can wear what you want, but you can’t expect British society to be reconfigured around you.” His comments put him at odds with Williams, who defended the right of Muslim women to wear the full veil.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...8-2471915.html
