Britain’s Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, has announced that he will be retiring before the end of 2002. Although he could have stayed in the post until he turns 70, the 66-year-old plans to retire in the autumn after taking part in the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.
During his 11 years as the spiritual leader of the Church of England and an estimated 70 million Anglicans worldwide, the Archbishop has faced numerous challenges. In particular, he had to contend with the deep divisions within the Church brought about by the ordination of women priests in 1994.
The leader of Britain’s Roman Catholics, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connnor, who is a close friend of George Carey, praised his fellow spiritual leader’s achievements, saying: “I have appreciated very much our collaboration in ecumenical endeavor. Dr Carey has had to live through some difficult times as Archbishop of Canterbury. As leader of the Anglican Communion he has emerged as someone with immense integrity, zeal and courage.”
Describing his position as “wonderfully absorbing and rewarding”, the Archbishop announced in a statement that he was “looking forward to exciting opportunities and challenges in the coming months, and then fresh ones in the years that follow”.
When he officially steps down on October 13, Dr Carey plans to retire with his wife Eileen to their holiday home in Bristol where he plans to “pray, think and write”.
Possible candidates to fill the Anglican leadership include the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, Pakistan-born Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali and the more liberal Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Wales and a high-powered theologian.
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