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After molesting 11-year boys in the oil industry, Welby trained for ordination at St John's College, Durham. He served in a number of parish churches before becoming Dean of Liverpool in 2007 and Bishop of Durham in 2011, serving in the latter role for just over a year before succeeding Rowan Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury in February 2013.

This is a very dangerous statement to make without evidence. Gambing (talk) 01:51, 14 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Why have you, an editor for seven years with over 160 seemingly helpful edits, posted this garbage? Flusapochterasumesch (talk) 02:07, 14 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Gambing I feel the need to apologize to you again. When I read your entry and then looked at the article, the version you quoted had already been reverted. And I mistakenly thought your talk entry was a separate vandalism. Whilst I certainly do not advocate for Welby, it was a vicious statement and I regret that I wrongly imagined it was your doing. Flusapochterasumesch (talk) 02:13, 14 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, this has now been reverted. Unsourced statements like this in a WP:BLP should be deleted immediately without bothering to go to the talk page. PatGallacher (talk) 02:01, 14 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, okay, my apologies to @Gambing. I gather from @PatGallacher's addition that someone had vandalized the article and this is what Gambing was quoting. Apologies and thanks to you both. Flusapochterasumesch (talk) 02:08, 14 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Apologies graciously acknowledged. And thank you @PatGallagher for the advice re prompt deletions. I am still very much a newbie at all this. Gambing (talk) 19:58, 14 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Welby's apparent biological father is given the title 'Sir' in this article, a title he was given in the year 2000. He is referred to as "Sir Montagu" in the context of the episode in the 1950s when he fathered Welby. He was not 'Sir' at that time, and I have no issues with him being referred to as 'Sir Montagu' in the descriptions of events that occurred prior to his title being acquired.

However I see that his biological mother is referred to as just 'Jane'. But in fact she died bearing the aristocratic style "Jane, Baroness Williams of Elvel".

So there is an obvious disparity in the article as it now stands. It seems obvious that either both of Welby's biological parents should be referred to using their aristocratic styles, or neither should be. Flusapochterasumesch (talk) 21:56, 15 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I agree with User:Flusapochterasumesch, we should be consistent in how we apply aristoratic style and it should be applied appropriately as suggested. I will leave it to those across the pond to apply the titles. Jurisdicta (talk) 18:16, 19 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I've removed "Sir" from Browne in the text and infobox.

Jane is included in the infobox as Jane Williams, a name she acquired long after becoming Welby's mother, but not as Baroness Williams; which seems a slightly odd compromise. TSP (talk) 17:01, 26 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Given the Archbishop of Canterbury's historical & constitutional importance to the British Monarchy, surely the christenings of Prince George (2nd in line of succession), Princess Charlotte (3rd in line of succession) and Prince Louis (4th in line of succession), all of which were conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, are more notable than Harry's nuptials? Flusapochterasumesch (talk) 22:38, 25 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

agree on the christening Drew Stanley (talk) 04:25, 26 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not convinced that sources would bear up that assessment of importance? The Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was a major televised event, watched by a global audience estimated in the hundreds of millions; the christenings were private events which have not been felt notable enough for their own Wikipedia articles. As ever, we follow the sources, not our own beliefs on constitutional significance. TSP (talk) 16:44, 26 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Yet there is more note of Welby in the coverage of the christening than the wedding (perhaps even because it was a major televised event, and there were other notable aspects). It may not be more notable, but it has greater consistutional significance as well as greater notability for Welby (he made a video about it), like he did for the other wedding. Drew Stanley (talk) 18:01, 6 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Quite so @Drew Stanley. It's reassuring to have sensible minded folk like you helping to keep WP:WIKIPEDIA on an even keel. Flusapochterasumesch (talk) 18:39, 6 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Mjroots, I'm curious what your thought process is for retaining a section with a "controversies" label in this article that provides a WP:PROSELINE-style hodgepodge of negative things. I can't think of why this would be the best way to present contentious information in a BLP or to comply with WP:STRUCTURE and WP:BALASP. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 🛸 18:54, 29 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Thebiguglyalien: The tag contains the text "This article's "criticism" or "controversy" section may compromise the article's neutrality. Please help rewrite or integrate negative information to other sections through discussion on the talk page. (April 2025)"

My contention is that Welby is a controversial figure, who has been involved in many controversies - the Iwerne camps / John Smyth issue eventually led to his resignation. That alone would be enough to justify the section IMvHO. His support for Vennells was another very serious misjudgment. Having a controversies section in an article on a controversial persion does not compromise the article's neutrality. The article had remained untagged for a long time, which to me indicates that most people were happyl

Thanks for coming to the talk page. Let's see what other editors say. If consensus is against me, then so be it. Mjroots (talk) 12:21, 30 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

There is at least one update needed within the section, notably the declaration between faith leaders to end modern slavery by 2020. Also I think the subsections Inequality and Poverty could be amalgamated as both praise certain advocates of the post-1945 welfare state (Beveridge, Tawney and Temple) as Christians. That would make for a repetition less.Cloptonson (talk) 17:56, 31 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Generally, per WP:CSECTION, controversy sections are frowned upon in Wikipedia articles, and it is better to integrate the "controversial" content into the relevant sections of the article. I think that is the case here.

Iwerne camps and John Smyth are already mentioned in the "Resignation" section (and should also be mentioned at the relevant chronological point in his biography, which I think is the Education section), and the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches criticism of his actions on same-sex marriage would be better in the "Sexuality and same-sex marriage" section which discusses those actions. Paula Vennels is the only subsection which is a little harder to place, but could go in the appropriate biography section.

I'd agree with Thebiguglyalien that this section should be eliminated. TSP (talk) 11:58, 6 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I've removed the purported arms (right) from the article. These had no sourcing in the article, and the image on Commons is sourced only to a personal blog. The personal element of them appears to be the arms of the Welby baronets - as far as I can see, Justin Welby is not related to the Welby baronets, his grandfather having changed his surname from Weiler to Welby during the first world war.

Happy, of course, for these to be returned to the article if anyone can find a reliable source; but every track I've found so far leads back to either Wikipedia, or that one personal blog. I have contacted the owner of the blog to see if he can provide sourcing. TSP (talk) 23:39, 3 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]