Archbishop of Canterbury Will Retire Nov. 15
Diocesan Press Service. March 13, 1974 [74076]
LONDON, England -- The Most Reverend and Right Honorable Arthur Michael Ramsay, the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England and spiritual leader of the 46.7 million member world-wide Anglican Communion since 1961, announced on March 11 that he will retire on November 15, 1974. He will observe his 70th birthday on November 14.
He was Bishop of Durham from 1952 to 1956 and Archbishop of York from 1956 until his appointment as Archbishop in 1961.
Born in Cambridge in 1904, he has been the most widely traveled holder of his office and perhaps the most traveled head of a Christian communion in history. The southern half of the Western Hemisphere is one of few places Dr. Ramsey has not visited, but he plans to visit Anglican communities in Colombia, Chile, Argentina and Brazil this fall just before his retirement.
Probably the best known and most significant of his many journeys on behalf of unity among the churches was his visit in Rome's Sistine Chapel with Pope Paul VI in March, 1966. The result was the establishment of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, which has produced since that time historic agreements on the Eucharist and the Ministry.
At a recent press conference in New York City, Dr. Ramsey recognized certain doctrinal differences that make intercommunion difficult. Among these differences, he said, are positions on the Blessed Virgin Mary, the infallibility of the Pope, and the Roman Catholic insistence that it is the one holy Church.
In his quest for unity, Dr. Ramsey went to Istanbul in 1962 to call on the late Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I. Subsequently, he visited other east European countries, including Greece and Russia, to meet Orthodox patriarchs, in his search for greater understanding among the churches.
For several years he sought to link the Church of England with British Methodism, but his dream for such a union was thwarted twice, first in 1969 when his own Anglican Assembly defeated the proposal after the Methodist Conference had approved the scheme, and again in 1972 when his General Synod (successor to the Church Assembly) failed to give the plan the necessary majority.
Dr. Ramsey was educated at Cambridge and Cuddesdon Theological College, Oxfordshire. After his ordination in 1928, he was curate in Liverpool for two years. For the next six years he was sub-warden of Lincoln Theological College. This was followed by service as a member of parish staffs in Lincolnshire and Cambridge and as canon of the cathedral and professor of divinity in Burnham. In 1950 he became Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge, where he taught until his election to the episcopacy.
Known for his scholarship, wit, compassion and informality, Dr. Ramsey is the author of many theological works, which are distinguished by their profound learning and clarity of expression.
Dr. Ramsey has not announced his specific retirement plans, though he has indicated that he expects to spend his time reading and writing theological works and continuing his activities on behalf of unity among the churches.
The Rt. Rev. John E. Hines, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the U.S., in a statement on Dr. Ramsey's announced retirement, said that the Archbishop "is greatly beloved and respected by all bishops throughout the Anglican Communion. " Bishop Hines said that Dr. Ramsey's "most durable contributions " were "in the realm of live scholarship and ecumenical progress. "
"His tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury," Bishop Hines said, "has proved to be a most unifying one in Anglicanism itself and his service as a President of the World Council of Churches kept widening the borders of Anglican ecumenical interests. "
The Rt. Rev. John M. Allin, Bishop of Mississippi and Presiding Bishop-Elect of the Episcopal Church, said that Dr. Ramsey's "unparalleled contribution as a seeker of unity has left its mark on all of Christendom. "
"His striving for unity among the churches," Bishop Allin said, "will assure him an honored place in church history."
Bishop Allin said that he is "personally grateful that Dr. Ramsey will still be the Archbishop of Canterbury" when he assumes the office of Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the U.S. in June.
Dr. Ramsey has followed a long line of archbishops, whose diocese was established in 597 A.D. Augustine became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in 601 A.D.
Since the Church of England is the established church, the Queen will appoint the successor to Dr. Ramsey on advice from the Prime Minister. Under the amended rules of the General Synod, the Church's standing committee, composed of both clergymen and lay persons, will be consulted about the appointment.
[Contact Archives for statements by Bishop Hines and Bishop Allin - Ed.]