Anglican Communion News Service

A high standard of theological education is “absolutely key” to combating the ignorance that drives many international conflicts, the Archbishop of Canterbury said yesterday.

During a press gathering at a conference that is focusing on what it means to be a bishop in the Anglican Church today, Dr Rowan Williams said that theological education had been a priority since he took office.

“It seems to me that a lot of the religious conflicts we see around the world are intensified by ignorance and prejudice, the incapacity to get inside the skin of your own tradition and others,” he said. “Education is a part of making religion a resource for peace rather than a menace here, so I would see that as absolutely key.”

Dr Williams said that the word of TEAC (Theological Education for the Anglican Communion) had informed much of the reflection on Anglican identity and the role of theological education in the episcopate. He said he hoped that TEAC would be able to continue the process of “delivering real excellence world wide in education” so that the Anglican Communion was not dependent on a small number of particularly northern and western institutions.

Staff writer