Conservative Anglicans welcome new Archbishop of Canterbury

The head of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans has welcomed the appointment of Bishop Justin Welby as the next Archbishop of Canterbury.

In a statement the Archbishop of Kenya, the Most Reverend Dr Eliud Wabukala said the Fellowship's prayer for a "godly" leader "has been answered".

His appointment would give hope to those in the Anglican Communion "who long to see renewal, reform and genuine unity".

"Bishop Justin will bring to the Anglican Communion a special combination of gifts and experience. I know him as a deeply committed servant of Jesus Christ who honours the Scriptures as the Word of God and as a courageous peacemaker," the Archbishop said.

"I am confident that these qualities, together with his sustained involvement in business and finance, will enable him to articulate the lordship of Christ to a watching world as well as to a Communion in continuing disorder."

The Archbishop said, however, that it would be "unfair and misleading to suggest that one man can resolve the crisis which has beset the Anglican Communion in recent years".

Meeting in London earlier this year, the Fellowship stated its desire for the chair of the Primates Meeting to be elected by the Primates themselves.

He said: "Our proposal, while not intended to deny the honour due to Canterbury as an historic see, is an expression of the truth we hold as vital, that our identity as Anglicans stems first and foremost from adherence to the faith we confess.

"It is this which gives substance and integrity to our bonds of affection and our efforts to relieve poverty and promote development.

He added: "As the Primate of Kenya and Chairman of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, I eagerly look forward to working with the new Archbishop of Canterbury as a partner in the gospel to restore much needed conviction, confidence and unity to the deeply fractured Anglican family."