Anglican Archbishop meets Batholomew in Istanbul visit

Fırat Alkaç ISTANBUL / Hürriyet

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby (L), meets with Fener Orthodox Greek Patriarchate Bartholomew in Istanbul January 13, 2014. REUTERS Photo

Head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby met with Fener Orthodox Greek Patriarchate Bartholomew in Istanbul on Jan. 13 during the first day of his two-day visit to Turkey.

Archbishop Welby held a one-on-one meeting with Bartholomew at the Fener Orthodox Greek Patriarchate in Istanbul’s Balat neighborhood on Jan. 13.

Welby attended a reception at the Pera house, where Bartholomew was not present due to health problems.

The meeting was the first since Welby was enthroned as the Archbishop of Canterbury about one year ago.

Welby is set to hold a discussion with the Synodical Committee for Inter-Christian Affairs as part of his two day visit.

The Istanbul Syriac Orthodox Church Metropolitan Yusuf Çetin and orthodox and protestant community members living in Istanbul were present in the reception.

Born in 1956 in London, Welby was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied history and law. He worked in the oil industry for 11 years, becoming group treasurer of a large British exploration and production company.

In 1989, he stood down from industry to train for ordination. He completed a theology degree at St John’s College, Durham. In 2011, he was elected Bishop of Durham. On Nov. 9, 2012, Welby was announced as the 105th Archbishop of the See of Canterbury, succeeding Rowan Williams.