The new Archbishop of Canterbury has turned down an invitation to become vice-patron of the RSPCA, prompting some commentators to surmise that he has snubbed the role for political reasons.
The Daily Telegraph, which has been crusading against the RSPCA’s campaigning activity ever since it unsuccessfully attempted to prosecute the Heythrop Hunt last year, was quick to characterise Justin Welby's decision as a “deliberate distancing” of the Church of England from the charity. It is a massive break with tradition and more evidence that the charity has “lost its way”, according to the newspaper.
The RSPCA was founded by an Anglican priest in 1824 and has maintained a close association with the Church. Special services known as ‘animal services’ are held on World Animal Day, or the nearest Sunday, in Anglican and other churches around the world.
In 1977, the then-Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Donald Coggan, became president of the Society, followed by Archbishop Robert Runcie in 1981.
Archbishop George Carey became the first vice-patron in 1992 and Dr Rowan Williams took over as vice-patron in 2003.
The RSPCA said in a statement that it had been informed by the Archbishop's office that “due to the very large number of invitations he receives to support charities, he is not able to take on the position of vice patron of the RSPCA. We respect that decision.”
The Archbishop already holds honorary positions at over 50 charities and institutions.
The charity also pointed out that the position of vice-patron is “not held by every Archbishop of Canterbury as a matter of course”.
However, environmentalist Bill Oddie, himself a vice-president of the RSPCA, ridiculed the idea that Archbishop Welby could not take on the role because he is already too busy, stating that those in such honorary positions don’t need to do anything.
Another Sunday newspaper disclosed recently that the Archbishop had once taken part in a pheasant shoot in the 1980s.
Lambeth Palace: Many pressures on his time
Lambeth Palace issued a statement saying: “Since taking office in March this year, the Archbishop has received many kind invitations to patron a large variety of charities and good causes. Each invitation has been an honour, and in an ideal world he would like to accept them all.
“However, in light of the sheer volume of requests the Archbishop receives, and the many pressures on his time and resources, he has reluctantly decided to restrict his patronage to a manageable number of organisations, based on where he feels his support could be most beneficial.
“Nevertheless, the Archbishop has enormous admiration for the RSPCA and hopes to see its work thrive long into the future.”
