Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby makes historic first Perth visit since taking role in 2013

One thing embattled British Prime Minister Liz Truss can bank on in her unenviable battle to lift the United Kingdom’s flagging economy - and perhaps keep her new job - is help from above.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby confirmed in Perth yesterday that while he would not be drawn on the political instability in his home country, he would indeed be calling on the highest of support for Ms Truss.

“Particularly when I’m overseas, I’m not going to talk about politics,” Archbishop Welby told The West Australian at Kings Park at Wednesday’s start of his 14-day Australian visit.

“(But) I pray for the Prime Minister every day. Anyone in government at the moment, over the last few years with COVID and other kinds of things, has been facing a series of almost insoluble problems and I think we have to recognise that.”

Archbishop Welby’s visit to Perth - his first since taking the role in 2013 - is the first by a spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Church for 34 years, since former head Robert Runcie was here in 1988.

The man who recently oversaw the funeral of Queen Elizabeth and gave the key sermon said he was convinced newly-appointed King Charles had the same commitment to the church as his mother.

“Absolutely, beyond any doubt at all,” he said boldly.

“I mean, I know him quite well and His Majesty has the same attitude as the Queen did, which is that the establishment gives you the privilege of serving and not the privilege of ruling. And that is what matters.”

Archbishop Welby was also adamant religion still held a strong relevance in the changing modern world.

“Eighty-three per cent of the world’s population are part of a religious community ... it is the dominant and driving force in the modern world,” he said.

“Countries where it’s not, which includes the UK and to some extent Australia, are the exception, not the rule. Therefore faith communities are called to serve the common good.”

Archbishop Welby has also overseen key royal family moments such as the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and the baptism of Prince George.

He was treated to a traditional Noongar welcome to Perth in a Kings Park ceremony on Wednesday where he was gifted from elders some indigenous literature, a boomerang, clapping sticks and an Aboriginal flag, “to hang in his office”. He was even warned not to swim with stingrays while he was here because legendary Australian naturalist Steve Irwin was killed by one in 2006.

Given the pain caused by Christianity to First Nations people in Australia’s past, he admitted he was surprised by the warmth of the welcome and promised to help lead the healing process during his tenure. He planned to use the visit to learn more about Aboriginal Australia to take him from “unconscious ignorance to conscious ignorance”.

Archbishop Welby said it would require a deeper acknowledgement and confession of those wrongs and an equally genuine humility in wanting to drive change from the “generations of harm that have been done”.

“It’s the example of being willing to acknowledge where we’ve done wrong, that’s where it starts,” he said.

“It’s very humbling that people who have been treated as they have respond in the way they do. We need to seek to learn and to put things right through our own knowledge and understanding.

“Historically ... there has been a theological approach that says that certain peoples or expression of culture are so sub-human that they don’t count. You only have to say that out loud and you feel shock within you that anyone could say that.”

Archbishop Welby said he also feared for what Europe’s growing economic challenges would mean for the well-being of its people.

“I think like many countries around the world, inflation is hitting the poorest,” he said.

“Unlike some past inflations, this isn’t the inflation of luxuries, this is the most basic things - how you heat, how you eat. The use of food banks has risen roughly 400 per cent over the past 12 months.

“That’s not just for people on very low incomes, but for people on what used to be thought as really adequate incomes. Someone I know at one of our food banks said to me, ‘The trouble is, the month is just a bit longer than the money’.

“It’s really tough and with winter coming and the cut-back in gas supply to Europe because of the Russian-Ukraine war, there is real fear of there not being quite enough energy to get us through the winter.”

Archbishop Welby is expected to speak to Anglican clergy on Thursday morning, while his wife Caroline spends time with members of the Sudanese Anglican Community and Mothers’ Union. He will also preach at a special Diocesan Service Choral Eucharist at St George’s Cathedral in Perth on Thursday night before flying to Adelaide on Friday.