WHEN Bishop Welby walked into the Guard Room at Lambeth Palace
shortly after 11 o'clock on Friday, somebody towards the back began
to clap - then stopped when he or she realised that none of the
other members of the assembled press were about to join in.
Half an hour later, when the Archbishop-designate left the room,
there was much more warmth in the applause. It wasn't overwhelming
- press people aren't the applauding sort - but it was an
expression of genuine admiration for the way that he had handled
what to almost anyone else would have been a paralysing
experience.
He began with a prayer, as Rowan Williams had done ten years
earlier; but God kept coming back into his answers throughout the Q
and A session. He dealt with women bishops and homosexuality in his
opening statement, in order to get the subjects out of the way in
his terms, which were decided on the issue of women bishops, and at
least open to friendly interpretation on homosexuality ("I know I
need to . . . examine my own thinking prayerfully and
carefully").
Several things impressed the press: the courtesy with which he
took the questions from around the room; the gentle humour that
appeared from time to time; the self-deprecation that is already
being seen as an essential part of his style.
But above all it was his professionalism that people noticed -
not only in what he said, such as in the careful mentioning of the
bishops (and, looked at in a different light, disappointed rivals),
whom he had had the "great privilege" of service - but also in what
he was careful not to say. There were no blunders, no hostages to
fortune. He playfully refrained from name-checking the
Financial Times; he spoke of his schooling without
mentioning Eton and thus providing a soundbite that might be used
later.
And he was "utterly optimistic" about the Church, realistic
about agreement (he spoke about his work in reconciliation in
Nigeria, encouraging people to "continue to differ passionately but
without violence", a useful skill for the C of E), and committed to
unity: Jesus's prayer for the unity of the disciples in St John's
Gospel was, he said, one of his "greatest influnces."
In future, of course, the press will be less sympathetic. But
for the time being, even the Mail seemed to like him.