Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori on the appointment of Bishop Justin Welby of Durham as the new Archbishop of Canterbury:

I am delighted to hear of Bishop Welby’s appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury.  He brings knowledge of the immense challenges of the world in which the Anglican Communion seeks to partner in the service of God’s mission to heal and reconcile.  He has experience of churches in several parts of the Communion, which should serve him well.  The bishops of The Episcopal Church have met him and shared fruitful conversation, worship, and learning with him during a House of Bishops meeting earlier this year.  We also welcomed him to our General Convention in 2009.

I give thanks for his appointment and his willingness to accept this work, in which I know his gifts of reconciliation and discernment will be abundantly tested.  May God bless his ministry, shelter his family, and bring comfort in the midst of difficult and lonely discernment and decisions.

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church