Welby, Justin Portal

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Justin Portal Welby, 1956–, archbishop of Canterbury (2013–), b. London, grad. Trinity College, Cambridge (B.A., 1978). An oil executive until 1989, he studied theology at St. John's College, Durham (grad. 1992) and was ordained a deacon in 1992 and a priest in 1993. From 1995 he served in the diocese of Coventry, becoming a canon of Coventry Cathedral in 2002. It was then that he became involved in facilitating the reconciliation of conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, and he has continued that work, particularly between Christians and Muslims in Africa. He was installed as dean of Liverpool Cathedral in 2007, and elected bishop of Durham in 2011. In 2012 he was named to succeed Rowan Williams as archbishop of Canterbury. Welby has written extensively on issues dealing with ethics, especially in business and finance, e.g., Can Companies Sin? (1992). He has favored the ordination of women as bishops and opposed same-sex marriage.