London, England, Mar 16, 2012 / 17:59 pm
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has announced that he will step down as the highest clergyman of the Church of England in December 2012 after 10 years in office. The announcement prompted praise for his tenure from Catholic Archbishop Vincent Nichols.
“In the last three years I have grown to appreciate more and more the fine qualities of Archbishop Rowan: his kindness, his sharp intellect, his dedication to striving for harmony between peoples, especially within the Christian family, his courage and his friendship,” Catholic Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster said March 16.
“These will be much missed when he steps down from his demanding office in December. I will miss him.”
Archbishop Nichols thanked the Anglican archbishop for his service and particularly recalled his “warm welcome” to Pope Benedict XVI at Lambeth Palace during the 2010 papal visit to the U.K. He also noted that Archbishop of Canterbury met and prayed with Pope Benedict XVI in Rome on Saturday.