Archbishop of Canterbury - God and family 'keep me going'

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has revealed that God and his family are the two things that "keep me going".

The head of the 77-million strong Anglican Communion gave a brief insight into his private life and motivation in an interview by three teenagers with the Oi! youth magazine.

He told interviewers Holly Mounter, Georgie Gothhard, and Mily Veitch that he enjoyed "the non-political side" of his job but confessed that it was not easy.

He said, "Many people thinking that the decisions I make are stupid. My teenage daughter thinks I'm every kind of idiot there is."

Despite this criticism, Dr Williams spoke of what motivates him in his work as head of the Anglican Communion.

"There are two things that keep me going, though, and my family is one of them. Having support and love from those closest to me is hugely important," he said.

"God is my other source of strength. He's always there for me, even if he thinks I'm an idiot, too. And that is why what the editor of the Daily Mail thinks of me is pretty irrelevant. Ultimately I'm answerable to God (and my wife!)."

One of those interviewing the Archbishop was 12 weeks pregnant. She asked the Archbishop for his advice on the matter.

"As a Christian I could never advise anyone to have a termination. Personally, I believe a child is a gift from God, and you wouldn't give a gift back, would you?" he replied.

When asked about homosexuality, the Archbishop said he expected the debate within the Church to continue for many years. Giving his own personal view he said, "I have no problem with gay clergy who aren't in relationships, although there are savage arguments about the issue you might have heard about.

"Our jobs mean we have to adhere to the Bible: gay clergy who don't act upon their sexual preferences do; clergy in practising homosexual relationships don't."

One of the interviewers said of the Archbishop, "I was expecting just words. What he gave me was meaning, an understanding of who I was and where I was at, cloaked in kindness."