Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 26, 1990 TAG: 9007260070
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE: LONDON LENGTH: Medium
Carey, 54, was considered a surprise successor to Archbishop Robert Runcie, who plans to retire at the end of January.
Anglican church officials enthusiastically welcomed the appointment, which was made Tuesday.
They said Carey, who is bishop of Bath and Wells in southwest England, had a combination of qualities that would translate into a clear, forceful and progressive expression of Christian faith.
The archbishop of York, John Habgood, said that among Carey's attributes were "his age, so he can give time to the job."
He added: "I have tried to say that we do need an archbishop who can give time to the job. He is a scholar and you do need a scholar in Canterbury, and thirdly, it is a fact that he is an evangelical and that will encourage a very large constitution in the Church of England."
Runcie described the choice of his successor as imaginative and said Carey was a theologian who commanded broad respect.
While holding strong convictions, Carey is described as open to contrasting opinions on matters of doctrine and politics.
He is a leader of the Church of England's evangelical wing, which stresses traditional beliefs, unlike radical theologians who interpret the Bible more freely.
At the same time, he is a firm supporter of the ordination of women, an issue that has threatened to splinter the denomination.
Carey said at a news conference that he felt "dazed and unworthy" over the appointment.
George Leonard Carey was born on Nov. 13, 1935, in London's East End, a poor working-class district. The son of a hospital porter, he grew up in public housing and recalls sharing his brother's shoes.
After leaving school at 15, he worked as an office clerk and served as a radio operator in the Royal Air Force from 1954 to 1956.
On return to civilian life, Carey studied at home to gain entrance to King's College at London University and graduated with a bachelor of divinity degree in 1962.
From 1975 to 1982, he was a vicar in Durham in the north.
Before being appointed bishop of Bath and Wells, where he is known as the Green Bishop because he champions environmental concerns, he served for five years as principal of Trinity Theological College in Bristol.
Carey said that the church seemed "light years away" from the kind of people with whom he grew up and recalled how he had been unchurched for many years before being led into the church by the warmth of a local Christian community.
"I want other people to share that experience," he said, serving notice that he would continue to speak out on social and political issues.
Carey, who as the next archbishop of Canterbury will be the 103rd successor to St. Augustine, lists as his relaxations walking his dog, listening to music, learning poetry and talking to his wife, Eileen, who is a nurse.
by CNB