London, England — Rowan Williams, named last month to lead the world's 70 million Anglicans as the next archbishop of Canterbury, has pleased those concerned about protecting the lives of women and unborn children.
Tony Blair, the British prime minister, had recommended Dr Rowan Williams, currently the Anglican archbishop of Wales, to Queen Elizabeth II as the next archbishop of Canterbury and figurehead of the worldwide Anglican communion.
He's member of the English pro-life group Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), and the organization praised his selection.
John Smeaton, national director of SPUC, said: “The Archbishop has been a life member of SPUC for many years; we are delighted to see that someone of such positive pro-life views has been recommended for the most senior position in the Church of England; the example he gives of Christian witness to the sanctity of human life whether unborn or born will inspire other Anglicans throughout the world to recognise that society must foster a loving and supportive environment for the weakest and most vulnerable of the human race.”
“The recognition that human life begins at conception is the only sure foundation for the respect for human life at any age that was so wanting in so much of the 20th century,” Smeaton explained. “Dr Williams' appointment may be part of a new beginning in the 21st century.”
Although viewed by some as a liberal on other religious issues, Williams shares the pro-life perspective.
“I know this will surprise some people who see me as a liberal, but I am very worried about the abortion situation. I believe abortion is taking human life and that the Church ought to declare its position on this more clearly than it often does,” Williams said in a 1999 interview.
Williams is also concerned by the new immoral bioethics issues facing the world.
“The prospect of what people call 'designer babies' is becoming less remote, and it is in a way connected with the abortion debate in that there is an attitude around which doesn't see the 'moral otherness' of the unborn,” says Williams in the interview.
“They are not just a bit of somebody, whether a bit of the mother's body, or a bit of 'my' fantasy and 'my' planning. The more one has a sense that from the moment of conception there is a moral other involved, the harder it becomes either just to be blase about abortion, or to say it is proper and possible to manipulate the destiny and character of the unborn.”
Williams spent most of his career teaching theology, including appointments at Cambridge and Oxford universities.
(This article courtesy of Steven Ertelt and the Pro-Life Infonet email newsletter. For more information or to subscribe go to www.prolifeinfo.org or email infonet@prolifeinfo.org.)