Justin Welby: why shouldn’t bishops be political?

Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury in the 1960s and early 1970s, would start his day by banging his head against his desk three times while chanting: ‘I hate the Church of England, I hate the Church of England, I hate the Church of England.’ Similar thoughts must surely have passed through the mind of Justin Welby at some point during the 11 years he’s been in the job. Since he was enthroned in 2013, the Church’s many divisions have worsened, most notably over women bishops, gay marriage and, in recent years, immigration policy. Given the fractured state of the C of E – not to mention the wider Anglican Communion – Archbishop of Canterbury looks like a role you’d only take if you enjoyed the constant sensation of hitting your head against a brick wall, not a desk.

Welby’s office at Lambeth Palace bears no visible signs of head-banging. Instead, he seems grimly amused by the way Conservative politicians have turned against him.