INTRODUCTION
Whatever else happens this year, 2013 will go down as a landmark one for faith leaders. We have a new Pope of course, and, closer to home, a new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and later this year, a new Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis. To have such wholesale changes in these positions at the same time is unprecedented in the modern era.
In fact, records show that this has only ever happened once before, over 250 years ago, in 1758 when Clement XIII, Thomas Secker and Hart Lyon became the Pope, Archbishop and Chief Rabbi respectively (this was before the formation of the modern Chief Rabbinate almost 100 years later). This year’s changes have shone a spotlight on the record of the outgoing leaders as well as the profiles of and challenges facing the incoming leaders. It has also focused attention on the role of faith leaders, and in this essay, we would like to suggest a broad framework for the role of faith leaders in modern Britain, drawing particularly on the two of the most senior offices, Archbishop of Canterbury and Chief Rabbi.
Broadly speaking, the role of faith leaders – like religious faith itself - is becoming increasingly vocal, high-profile and significant.
Were an updated version of “The Anatomy of Britain” (first published in 1962), Anthony Sampson’s seminal work on the power-holders of Britain, to be written today, it would demand a significant chapter on faith leaders. They have become spokespeople and ambassadors on the national stage, and their words and deeds can influence hundreds, even thousands of people. Their impact is local, national and sometimes international. Their role has become even more pronounced as trust in political and business leaders has plummeted. Many of them do not only lead their communities but have a significant external role, in relation to the media, politics and inter-faith work. There is seldom a job description for even the official positions and the duties of leaders in different communities may vary enormously, depending on whether they are primarily “religious” (with a theological background and training) or “quasi-political” (with a representative function for their communities) leaders.
In recent years, few would dispute that Rowan Williams and Jonathan Sacks have been the two most visible faith leaders in the UK. In addition, there are a cadre of figures leading the various faith communities, most notably the Christian, Bahai, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Zoroastrian communities. They are present at national occasions which are annual fixtures in the calendar, such as the Commonwealth Observance Service at Westminster Abbey in March and the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday in November. They are also seen on ad hoc occasions such as the Trafalgar Square Vigil after the 7-7 bombings in 2005, and more recently, the Royal Wedding in 2011, the Diamond Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving in 2012 and the Ceremonial funeral of Baroness Thatcher in April.
1.INTERNAL
In broad terms, five distinct but related areas of responsibility can be identified for contemporary national faith leaders. First, they have a role with an immediate constituency, in directing, guiding and representing their own flock. The leader’s “internal duties” can range from pastoral functions, teaching responsibilities, acting as primus inter-pares (“first among equals”) to their fellow faith leaders and exercising religious law. While the Archbishop of Canterbury is the diocesan bishop of Canterbury, (covering east Kent) and the metropolitan archbishop of the Province of Canterbury (covering the southern two-thirds of England), he is also preeminent religious figure of the Church of England, the head of the millions of Anglicans in the UK, and has a wider role as the senior Christian and religious leader in the UK. Similarly the Chief Rabbi has a de jure role as head of various Orthodox communities, but also a wider de facto representative role on behalf of his community. The Chief Rabbi presides over a team of Rabbis (including at one point, a formal Chief Rabbi’s Cabinet), officiates at weddings and funerals of community members as well as travelling the country giving sermons, lectures and study sessions.
Amongst the top priority for faith leaders are the religious needs, welfare and education of their own community. This “internal management” function can often be the most charged and challenging area of leadership. The potential for conflict is often enormous. The Chief Rabbi’s “internal role” is fraught with dangers because of the dual structure of the role (as discussed previously). Some on the ‘left’ and ‘right’ of the community do not accept the Chief Rabbi’s authority, and this can make the terrain very bumpy in a community which is increasingly religiously polarised. The Archbishop faces similar structural challenges.
2. PUBLIC AFFAIRS
The second significant component to the role of a modern faith leader is their work in politics, public affairs and diplomacy. This can often involve making representations to Parliament and the government about issues of particular concern or interest. It may entail drafting a response to a White Paper, meetings with groups of MPs, a committee appearance or even a meeting in Number 10 Downing Street. Through the leaders, the views of faith communities are sought by government. It is their job, as David Cameron has said using a phrase coined by the Quakers during in the mid-1950s, to speak “truth to power.”
Whilst faith leaders seem to be turning up the volume in the political arena, it is not something completely new. Harold Macmillan, Prime Minister from 1957 to 1963, famously remarked: “There were three bodies no sensible man directly challenged: the Roman Catholic Church, the Brigade of Guards and the National Union of Mineworkers.” The Premiership of Tony Blair coincided with an increase in the prominence of faith communities in Westminster and Whitehall. This was partly driven by exogenous events such as 9-11 and 7-7, to a lesser extent by Blair’s personal faith. Formal structures developed between government and the communities such as the Faith Consultative Council and there was a Minister responsible for the faith communities. There were regular meetings between faith leaders and Blair. The trend has continued under successive Prime Ministers, Gordon Brown and Cameron, notwithstanding that they are less personally committed in their own faiths. Brown’s passion for international development has won support from the faith communities, as has Cameron’s “Big Society” agenda.
There have also been high-profile disagreements between Archbishop Williams and Cameron (as there were with previous Prime Ministers, for example with Blair over the Iraq War), and this “constructive tension” between Church and government is a healthy part of the political system. As Williams said, in one of his final interviews as Archbishop, “The important thing about Archbishops speaking in public is that they shouldn’t ever be speaking in ways that have no cost when other people are paying a price. Risking unpopularity, taking the flack is what Archbishops are here for. It’s the stuff of the job.
It’s something you realise the more you work here that maybe Britain benefits from having someone to get angry with.”
3. MEDIA AND COMMS
Third, modern faith leaders need to engage with the media to communicate with their community and beyond. Due to their high public profiles, the opinions of the Archbishop and Chief Rabbi are often in demand by the news media. Williams, who himself has been on the receiving end of a media criticism, particularly over his “Sharia law” comments in 2008, recognised this reality in a lecture on the media in 2005: “A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk.”
The media profile of faith leaders has increased markedly in recent years. The growth of TV and radio channels, along with the internet, has offered a range of exciting new outlets, and the print media has also increased its coverage. Traditional “faith media” channels, such as BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day slot, BBC Radio 2’s “Pause for Thought” and the faith pages in the Times, have been complemented by the growing “news” interest in faith. Mark Thompson, the former Director General of the BBC, has said of religion: “It’s not just in the news, but often leads the news.”
Nowadays the main stories of the day, whether war overseas, the credit crunch or attempts to address global warming demand a reaction from faith leaders. They are seen as a key voice in the national conversation. The 24 hour news cycle gives ample opportunity for faith leaders to find slots as “talking heads” on TV or blogging on a news website. The Archbishop and Chief Rabbi are now significant media figures, with a profile to match that of leading politicians. The media ask them to comment on the issues of the day. Also they use platforms such as opinion pieces in the national press and radio slots to deliver messages to a wide audience. They preach from a “national pulpit” on set occasions, particularly the Archbishop, who knows that his Christmas and Easter Sermons will be comprehensively covered. Also the Archbishop delivers a TV Message on New Year’s Day, which is a powerful slot, and Sacks has also had a significant TV slot, delivering a 20 minute message for the Jewish New Year on the BBC every autumn.
Furthermore, the growth of the internet has provided new platforms and opportunities for faith leaders, but has also enabled criticism of the leader’s pronouncements to gather steam at great speed. Websites and social media enable direct contact with the public and communications targeting their own communities. For example, Chief Rabbi Sacks’ weekly commentary on the Bible portion, “Covenant and Conversation”, has been running since 2003. It has a large global audience, who consume the weekly commentaries in written, audio or video form.
Incidentally the social media revolution even reached the more conservative enclaves of the Vatican press office under Pope Benedict XVI, which launched a Youtube Channel in January 2009 and started Tweeting in December 2012.
4. INTER-FAITH
The fourth area of modern faith leaders’ roles concerns their inter-faith work. They encounter each other at national occasions, and there are also a series of organisations and initiatives to bring faith leaders together. Some of these organisations are bi-lateral and theological, whereas others are multi-lateral and action-orientated.
Many are brought together under the umbrella of the Inter-Faith Network, which includes a number of faith leaders on its board, but there are also a number of global inter-faith organisations and initiatives.
The evolution of Britain from a Christian country to a multi-faith one has been reflected in a sprouting of inter-faith organisations. There are now, according to the Inter-faith Network, over 300 local inter-faith organisations in the UK. The increase in prominence of inter-faith was remarked on by former Archbishop George Carey in his autobiography, in the chapter on inter-faith elegantly titled “from Crusades to Cooperation”: “The way that this area [inter-faith] has grown signifies the most important difference between my archiepiscopate and that of my predecessors. Rather than occupying a sliver of time that a busy Archbishop could simply slip into an already impossible diary, inter-faith activities would become one of my top priorities and I expect them also to dominate the lives of my successors.”
5.INTERNATIONAL
Finally, the leaders have an important role on the international stage. The Archbishop and Chief Rabbi have formal jurisdiction beyond the UK (to the 80 million strong Anglican Communion and the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth respectively). Sometimes their work in the global arena will be focused on managing or inspiring their own community; at other times it may be quasi-diplomatic, for example in addressing organisations such as the World Economic Forum or the United Nations, or the Archbishop’s specific role in convening Lambeth Conferences every 10 years or so.
Of course, there are often significant differences in national religious communities, and this can cause acute difficulty for the leader attempting to hold the ship steady. Rowan Williams conceded as much in an interview in in September 2012. “Thinking back over things I don’t think I’ve got right over the last 10 years, I think it might have helped a lot if I’d gone sooner to the United States when things began to get difficult about the ordination of gay bishops, and engaged more directly with the American House of Bishops.”
CONCLUSION
So these are the five broad roles which faith leaders in today’s Britain are required to fulfil. The allocation of energies and resources will depend on circumstances and priorities. The exercise of leadership is affected both by the personality of the incumbent and their “constitutional” position and there are particularities related to each position, depending on the demographics and state of the community. The roles carry enormous challenges and responsibilities, requiring significant personal sacrifice. To counter-balance these, there are enticing opportunities for faith leaders to enhance their own communities, and the moral fibre of the nation.
Zaki Cooper works in communications, and is a Trustee of the Council of Christians and Jews. Paul Woolley is Executive Director of the Bible Society, having been the founding director of the religion and society think-tank Theos.
