So we have a new Archbishop of Canterbury – our spiritual leader. In truth we have had him for a few months already, because yesterday ceremony of Justin Welby’s installation was only the conclusion of a long process. Yet the requirements of tradition had to be met: the next, already 105th successor of St. Augustine was installed on his throne. Despite a few important innovations, the enthronement is indeed a ceremony infused with tradition, including such elements of it which I can hardly agree with. I don’t want now to ponder on these rituals which accentuate the dependence of the Church of England on the Throne. In the first place I have a problem, especially when I compare the inauguration of the Archbishop with the inauguration of the Bishop of Rome, with the fact that a bishop, whose position in the church is founded upon his presiding at the Eucharist, takes his office without the Eucharist. This has its historical reasons, but is very difficult to defend theologically in my opinion. Despite this, I think that the installation of Archbishop Justin was dignified, solemn – but not pompous – and that at some moments it can only be described as moving. I was especially moved by the words spoken at the entrance – a testimony of humility and a very human uncertainty, inseparable from taking such an office.
During the service Archbishop Welby preached a sermon which you can undoubtedly call something of a mission statement. The commentators unanimously point out its positive, optimistic message. The new leader of the Anglican Communion doesn’t submit to a dark mood. That’s good. Both he himself and we all need this “Christ-liberated courage”. The evidence that Justin Welby has this courage was in a sense the fact that he very clearly mentioned in his sermon the persecutions of Christian in various parts of the world. It would be good if this voice reached our brothers and sisters in the Near East and in other places where following Christ may bring upon one real danger.
Archbishop Justin is considered to be a representative of the evangelical wing in the Church of England. I admit that I watched yesterday’s celebration and listened to his sermon with this in mind. The way he participated in the liturgy suggests that he is not one of those “evangelicals” who seem to believe that making the sign of the cross will hurt and to have chronic stiffness in their spines and knees. It was a relief for me. The sermon was for me a more typical example of evangelical spirituality. And it’s not even about its very christocentric character. I will allow myself to make a comparison that came to my mind after the service. The former ABC can also be called a christocentric theologian, but Rowan Williams’ Christ resembles more the Christ of Eastern Christianity. It’s a Christ of the great metabola, transformation, of the world and the human being. It’s Christ the Great Healer in the best and broadest sense of the word. Justin Welby seems to me in this regard as more western and Protestant. Even though in no place in the sermon one could sense the presence of another predecessor of his on the See of Canterbury – St. Anselm – I couldn’t resist the feeling that Welby’s Christ is in the first place a reconciling Christ, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”. Both these metaphors of course have their rightful place in the Christian tradition, but I admit that the first one is dearer to me. And perhaps this is the reason why I concluded yesterday evening that of the two sermons preached on two inaugural celebrations this week Pope Francis’ sermon touched me more. I think it good that both were preached and I believe that they can be treated as complementary in a sense, but I personally prefer the spirit of Franciscan universalism, which filled the message of the Bishop of Rome, to the evangelical message of Justin Cantuar, even though I can recognize in both the preaching of Christ’s Gospel.
So much for spontaneous remarks. We should pray that God blesses both bishops in their ministry.
