George Leonard Carey, Baron Carey of Clifton PCHer Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. Its members are largely senior politicians, who were or are members of either the House of Commons or House of Lords of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.The Privy Council, the...
FKC (born 13 November 1935) was
Archbishop of CanterburyAlso see Leaders of ChristianityThe Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury, the see that churches must be in communion with in order to be...
from 1991 to 2002. He was the first modern holder not to have attended
OxfordThe University of Oxford , located in the UK city of Oxford, is the oldest surviving university in the English-speaking world and is regarded as one of the world's leading academic institutions. Although the exact date of foundation remains unclear, there is evidence of teaching there as far back...
or
CambridgeThe University of Cambridge , located in the City of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, is the second oldest university in the English-speaking world and the fourth oldest in Europe...
University. His time as archbishop saw the
Church of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches...
allow the
ordinationIn general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
of women priests and a rising debate over attitudes to homosexuality at the Lambeth Conference of 1998.
Early life
George Carey was born in the
East End of LondonThe East End of London, known vernacularly as the East End, is the area of London, England, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames, although it is not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries...
in
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He attended Bonham Road Primary School in
DagenhamDagenham is a suburban town in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, situated east of Charing Cross, in East London.-Etymology:Dagenham as Dæccanhaam is first recorded in a charter of Barking Abbey dating from 687 AD...
, then he failed his
eleven plusIn the United Kingdom, the 11-plus or Eleven plus is an examination administered to some students in their last year of primary education. The name derives from the student age group: 11–12 years. The Eleven Plus examination was once used throughout the UK but is now only used in a number of...
. He then attended Bifrons Secondary Modern School in
BarkingBarking is a suburban town in East London, England in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. A retail and commercial centre situated in the west of the borough, it lies east of Charing Cross...
, before leaving at the age of 15. He worked for the London Electricity Board as an office boy, before doing his
National ServiceNational service is a common name for mandatory or voluntary government service programs . National service was common in the 20th century, and many young people spent one or more years in such programs...
at 18 in the
RAFThe Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts.The RAF operates almost 1,109...
as a Wireless Operator, during which time he served in
IraqIraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , also known as Mesopotamia, is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.Iraq shares borders with Jordan to the west, Syria...
.
Conversion and ordination
He became a
ChristianChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
at 17, when he attended
churchIn Christianity, a church service is a term used to describe a formalized period of communal worship, often but not exclusively occurring on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sabbatarianism. The church service is the gathering together of Christians to be...
with his friends: "I had a conversion experience which was very real ... There were no blinding lights, simply a quiet conviction I had found something," he later said.
During his National Service he decided to seek
ordinationIn general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
and after his
dischargeA military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve.-Military discharge in the United States:...
he studied intensely, gaining 6 O-levels and 3 A-levels in 15 months, before attending
King's College LondonKing's College London is a British higher education institution and co-founding constituent college of the University of London. Founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, its royal charter is predated, in England, only by those of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge...
. He graduated in 1962 with a 2:1
Bachelor of DivinityIn Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
degree and was
ordainedIn general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
. He later went on to earn M.Th and PhD degrees.
Offices
He was a
curateFrom the Latin curatus , a curate is a person who is invested with the care, or cure , of souls of a parish. In this sense it correctly means a parish priest. In Anglican churches, however, the term is usually used for an assistant priest or deacon...
at St Mary's Islington, worked at
Oak Hill Theological CollegeOak Hill College is a theological college located on Chase Side in Southgate, London, England. It is one of the largest seminaries in the UK....
and
St John's Theological College, NottinghamSt John's College, situated in Bramcote, Nottingham, is a Church of England theological college. The college stands in the open evangelical tradition and states that its “core purpose is to inspire, equip and grow Christians to serve and lead in God’s mission.”St. John’s trains Anglican ordinands,...
and became vicar of
St Nicholas' Church, DurhamSt Nicholas' Church, commonly known as St Nic's, is a Church of England place of worship located on Durham marketplace and is the city's civic church...
in 1975. Within two years he had trebled the congregation. He later wrote a book on his experiences there called "
The Church in the Market Place".
In 1982 he was appointed as Principal of
Trinity College, BristolTrinity College Bristol is a theological college affiliated to the Church of England. It is located in Stoke Bishop, a prosperous suburb in Bristol, England, next to the University of Bristol's residential halls...
, and was appointed as
Bishop of Bath and WellsThe Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.The present diocese covers the vast majority of the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in...
in 1988.
When Robert Runcie retired as Archbishop of Canterbury the Prime Minister,
Margaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She is the only woman to have held either post....
, encouraged by her former Parliamentary Private Secretary
Michael AlisonMichael James Hugh Alison was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.Alison was educated at Eton College, Wadham College, Oxford and Ridley Hall, Cambridge...
MP, sent Carey's name forward to the Queen for appointment. The religious correspondent for
The Times, Clifford Longley, commented that "Mrs Thatcher's known impatience with theological and moral wooliness...will have been a factor."
He was enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury on 19 April 1991. He retired from the position on 31 October 2002 and was created a
life peerIn the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles may not be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as
Baron Carey of Clifton, of Clifton in the City and County of
BristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London, and east of Cardiff.With an estimated population of 416,400 for the unitary authority in mid-2007, and a surrounding urban area with an estimated 561,500 residents, it is England's sixth, and...
, one month later.
As Archbishop of Canterbury, he promoted a "decade of evangelism". He was also praised for his administrative efficiency. But he aroused strong opposition also, some of it quite personal. For example, one notorious newspaper profile asked "Is he the worst Archbishop we have ever had?" in 1999 - before concluding that he wasn't, but that he was "without question the worst Archbishop imaginable for a media age." Michael Arditti, in his review of Lord Carey's memoirs, wrote:
"His eleven years in office were marked by unprecedented public criticism. He managed to alienate many of his natural supporters on the Evangelical wing of the Church, as well as both the Liberal and Conservative opposition. He was, arguably, the most excoriated archbishop since the execution of Charles I’s favourite, William Laud."
Currently he is
ChancellorA Chancellor is the head of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as President or Rector.In most Commonwealth nations, the Chancellor is usually a titular non-resident head, often with a Pro-Chancellor as practical Chairman of the governing body ; the actual chief executive of a...
of the
University of GloucestershireThe University of Gloucestershire is a university primarily based in Gloucestershire, England, spread over five campuses, three in Cheltenham, one in Gloucester and one campus in London...
.
Theological and social positions
George Carey's theological roots are in the
EvangelicalEvangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s.Most adherents consider its key characteristics to be: a belief in the need for personal conversion ; some expression of the gospel in effort; a high regard for biblical authority; and an emphasis on the...
section of the Church of England. He strongly supported the ordination of women; but he also has close ecumenical links with the
Roman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
, being chosen in 1976 to represent the Church of England at a meeting of the
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian UnityThe Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity origins are associated with the Second Vatican Council which met intermittently from 1962-1965.Pope John XXIII wanted the Catholic Church to engage in the contemporary ecumenical movement...
in Rome.
He is tolerant of divorce and divorced people and the remarriage of divorced people. His son is divorced and he supported the remarriage of the Prince of Wales to Camilla Parker-Bowles whose first husband is living.
He opposed homosexual relationships amongst members of the
clergyClergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. The term ultimately comes from the Greek κλῆρος - klēros, "a lot", "that which is assigned by lot" or metaphorically, "inheritence"....
, although he admits having consecrated two
bishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s whom he suspected of having same-sex partners. He presided over the Lambeth Conference of 1998 and actively supported the resolution at that conference which uncompromisingly rejected all homosexual practice as
"incompatible with scripture". Carey was criticised for his lack of neutrality on the issue by those attempting to rescue a compromise position which had been presented to the conference by a working group of bishops on human sexuality. George Carey also voted against an express condemnation (which had been present in the original form of the resolution) of
homophobiaHomophobia is defined as an "irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals", or individuals perceived to be homosexual; it is also defined as "unreasoning fear of or antipathy toward homosexuals and homosexuality", "fear of or contempt for lesbians and gay...
. The resolution as a whole was described by one of Carey's fellow primates,
Richard HollowayRichard F. Holloway is a Scottish writer and broadcaster and was formerly Bishop of Edinburgh in the Scottish Episcopal Church....
,
Bishop of EdinburghThe Bishop of Edinburgh is the Ordinary of the Scottish Episcopal Diocese of Edinburgh.The see was founded in 1633 by King Charles I. William Forbes was consecrated in St. Giles' Cathedral as its first bishop on 23 January 1634 though he died later that year...
and
Primus of the Scottish Episcopal ChurchThe Primus, styled The Most Revd the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, is the presiding bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church. The current Primus is the Most Revd David Chillingworth who became Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church on 13 June 2009...
, as a betrayal. Carey said: "If this conference is known by what we have said about homosexuality, then we will have failed." The resolution, however, was the beginning of an escalating crisis of unity within the Anglican Communion around the question of human sexuality which continues. This resolution is at the heart of current divisions within the Anglican Communion on the issue. Carey was also one of those who expressly refused to sign the
Cambridge AccordThe Cambridge Accord was an attempt to reach agreement on at least the human rights of homosexual people, notwithstanding controversy within the Anglican Communion about Anglican views of homosexuality.-Document:...
, which sought to reach consensus on at least the human rights of homosexuals. In an interview with Sir David Frost in 2002 he said:
"I don't believe in blessing same-sex relationships because frankly I don't know what I'm blessing."
George Carey was the first former Archbishop of Canterbury to publish his memoirs. The book, "
Know the Truth", mentions meetings with the
Prince of WalesCharles, Prince of Wales is the eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1952, he has been heir apparent to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms. After earning a bachelor of arts from Trinity College, Cambridge, Charles served a tour of duty with Royal Navy...
and Camilla Parker Bowles and his thoughts that they should marry. Some in the media suggested that this might have been a breach of confidence, but Carey repudiates this.
In 1998 he made a public call for the humane treatment of
General Augusto PinochetAugusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte was a Chilean army general and later head of state as president. He was the Commander in Chief of the Chilean army from 1973 to 1998, president of the Government Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981 and President of the Republic from 1974 until the return of...
, the former dictator of
ChileChile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, who was at the time in custody in the UK.
In 2000, he was critical of the Holy Office's document
Dominus IesusDominus Iesus is a declaration by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It was approved in a Plenary meeting of the Congregation, and bears the signature of its then Prefect, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, and of its then Secretary, Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, now...
, saying that it "... did not reflect the deep comprehension that has been reached through ecumenical dialogue and cooperation [between Catholics and Anglicans] during the past 30 years...the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion does not for one moment accept that its orders of ministry and Eucharist are deficient in any way. It believes itself to be a part of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church of Christ, in whose name it serves and bears witness, here and round the world."
Public statements since retirement
As Archbishop, he was active in inter-faith work, and worked for better relations with
MuslimsIslam Islam Islam ( al-’islām,
[There are ten pronunciations of Islam in English, differing in whether the first or second syllable has the stress, whether the s is or , and whether the a is pronounced as in father, as in cat, or (when the stress is on the i) as in the a of sofa...]
, calling for "deeper dialogue" between the two faiths. On 25 March 2004, after his retirement, he made a speech lamenting lack of democracy and innovation in Muslim countries, suggesting a lack of
criticalCritical may denote:*pertaining to a critic*pertaining to a critique*pertaining to a crisisMore specifically:-Psychology and education:*critical pedagogy - helping students achieve critical consciousness...
scholarship toward the
Qur'anThe Qur’an is the central religious text of Islam...
and saying that moderate Muslims should "resist strongly" the take-over of Islam by extremists. He also criticised the majority of Muslims, who do not support extremists, for not denouncing them. Some viewed his speech as an outspoken attack on Islam; Carey responded "Those who took the trouble to read my lecture will have noted that I was as critical of the West, of Christianity and, for that matter, also sharply critical of Israel's policy with respect to Palestine." Carey wrote an opinion piece in
The TimesThe Times is a daily national newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register....
on 10 September 2008 (p 26) in which he said "Immigration must be kept under control if we are to retain the essentials of British society that have been built up over the generations." He said: "If this scale of immigration continues, with people of different faiths, cultures and traditions coming here, what will it mean to be British?".
In February 2006, he attracted more controversy by declaring in a letter to
The TimesThe Times is a daily national newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register....
that a General Synod motion supported by his successor in favour of
disinvestmentDisinvestment, sometimes referred to as divestment, refers to the use of a concerted economic boycott, with specific emphasis on liquidating stock, to pressure a government, industry, or company towards a change in policy, or in the case of govennments, even regime change...
in a company active in the occupied territories of Israel made him ashamed to be an Anglican.
Since his retirement, he has supported same-sex partnerships in secular law but continues to oppose gay marriage and the blessing of gay partnerships in church. In March 2006, he personally endorsed "with enthusiasm" a questionnaire to American bishops from what he described as "Lay Episcopalians who wish their Church to remain faithful to Orthodox Christianity" in relation to the controversy in that church over the ordination of an openly gay bishop. For this, he was chided by Frank Griswold, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States, "for allowing himself to be used by others whose political ambition is to sow division".
Carey initially said he "was not too upset" by the controversy but, in April 2006, when criticism of his post-retirement activism on a number of fronts had been voiced in an open letter, he issued a public statement complaining that such comments were "mischievous and damaging to the Anglican Communion". In an interview for the BBC on 23 April 2006, he said "I think this is a mischievous letter from Australia and I hope the authors will reflect and repent".
In May 2006, he made a speech to the Virginia Theological Seminary, subsequently published on his personal website, which said "When I left office at the end of 2002 I felt the Anglican Communion was in good heart" but that, as a result of subsequent events "it is difficult to say in what way we are now a Communion." This was reported on 11 June 2006 in the
Sunday TelegraphThe Sunday Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in 1961. It is the sister paper of The Daily Telegraph, but is run separately, with a different editorial staff....
("Church has fallen apart since I was in charge, says Carey") and on 12 June 2006 in the Guardian and the Independent as an attack on his successor. An email from Lord Carey of Clifton on the day of publication was circulated in which he strongly denied this and said "I am hopping mad and will want a retraction from the [Sunday Telegraph], otherwise I will lodge a complaint."
In September 2006, he backed the Pope in the
controversy over his comments on IslamThe Regensburg lecture was an important lecture delivered on 12 September 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI at the University of Regensburg in Germany, that sparked international reactions and controversy. The pope delivered his lecture, entitled "Faith, Reason and the University — Memories and...
and declared that "there will be no significant material and economic progress [in Muslim communities] until the Muslim mind is allowed to challenge the status quo of Muslim conventions and even their most cherished shibboleths." However, his comments attracted much less attention and interest than those of the Pope.
In November 2006, he was barred from delivering a Church Mission Society lecture at Bangor Cathedral by the
DeanA dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
of Bangor, who viewed that Carey had become "a factor of disunity and of disloyalty to
Rowan WilliamsRowan Douglas Williams is an Anglican bishop and theologian. He is the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan of the Province of Canterbury and Primate of All England, offices he has held since early 2003....
, a divisive force."
In September 2009, Carey provoked outrage amongst Anglicans, by making positive remarks about the arms trade. He was quickly condemned by a number of Christian activists, particularly since the Lambeth Conference has resolved to oppose the arms trade
.
Family
Lord Carey is married to Eileen. They have two sons, Mark (an Anglican priest) and Andrew (formerly Deputy Editor of the Church of England Newspaper and currently a freelance journalist); and two daughters, Rachel and Elizabeth.
Select bibliography
- 1984: The Church in the Marketplace - details how he transformed a parish church in Durham.
- 1986: The Gate of Glory - a study of Christian doctrines of the crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
.
- 1989: The Great God Robbery
- 1997: God Incarnate: Meeting the Contemporary Challenges to a Classic Christian Doctrine
- 1998: Canterbury Letters to the Future
- 2004: Know the Truth - autobiography
Honours and accolades
- 1993 - Durham University - Honorary Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
- 1995 - Open University
The Open University is the distance learning university founded and funded by the UK Government. It is notable for having an open entry policy, i.e. students' previous academic achievements are not taken into account for entry to most undergraduate courses...
- Honorary Doctorate
Styles
- Mr George Carey (1935-1962)
- The Reverend George Carey (1962-1988)
- The Right Reverend Dr George Carey (1988-1991)
- The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Dr George Carey (1991-2002)
- The Right Reverend and Right Honourable The Lord Carey of Clifton PC DD (2002-)
External links