Archbishop of Canterbury to receive honorary doctorate from University of the West Indies during special visit to Jamaica

Archbishop of Canterbury to receive honorary doctorate from University of the West Indies during special visit to Jamaica

The Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury.

Image credit: Jacqui J. Sze

University of the West Indies, Regional Headquarters, Jamaica. Wednesday, July 18, 2024. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree from the University of the West Indies (UWI) at a special ceremony on Saturday, July 20. The ceremony will be held in conjunction with his visit to Jamaica from July 18 to 21 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. The ceremony will take place at 4:00 pm local time, 5:00 pm Eastern Caribbean time, in the E. Nigel Harris Conference Room at the UWI Regional Headquarters in Kingston. UWItelevision The proceedings will be broadcast live on its website www.uwitv.global, Facebook Page www.facebook.com/UWItv and Cable TV channels on Flow.

Archbishop Welby is the symbol and unifying leader of the Anglican Communion in 165 countries around the world and has played a key role in leading the discussion of social justice as a theological practice in the Communion and Anglicanism. He has spoken and written articles calling on the church to confront its past. He has called for positive action to recognize slavery as a crime against humanity. Importantly, he has advocated for healing, empowerment and reconciliation.

In this regard, he is described as a contributor to a long tradition of liberation theology that promotes equality and fairness for all. Archbishop Welby was ordained in 1992. He served in the Diocese of Coventry for 15 years, often working in areas of high poverty. In 2002, he was appointed canon of Coventry Cathedral to lead his international reconciliation work. During this time, he worked extensively in Africa and the Middle East. He spoke publicly about the transatlantic slave trade, pointing out that the underlying mentalities and attitudes that led to transatlantic slavery still exist today. These mentalities include the belief that it is acceptable to commoditize, exploit and harm people in order to benefit a few. According to Archbishop Justin, these attitudes continue to negatively impact the lives of millions of people of African descent, as well as people of other communities and ethnicities around the world.

Commenting on the award, Archbishop Welby said: “I am honoured to receive this honour from the University of the West Indies during my visit to Jamaica. As a university with social justice at its core, the University of the West Indies is at the forefront of the global movement for reparations justice – I am humbled to be awarded this honorary doctorate. As a Church, we stand on the shoulders of giants in this field, and much of the credit should go to the researchers, academics and independent oversight groups who have helped us understand the methods and guided us to this moment. Transatlantic slavery was and is a blasphemy, and I pray that we will continue to work towards a more just future in a spirit of deep repentance for this appalling wrong. I thank Professor Sir Hilary Beckles and the staff of the University of the West Indies for hosting us and look forward to learning more about the valuable work they are doing in this area.”

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Notes to Editors

About the University of the West Indies

The University of the West Indies has been a key force in all aspects of development in the Caribbean and has been at the heart of all efforts to improve the well-being of the people of the region for 75 years.

UWI began as University College London in Jamaica in 1948 with 33 medical students. Today, UWI is an internationally renowned global university with nearly 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona from Jamaica, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Mountain in Barbados, The five islands of Antigua and Barbuda and Global Campusand A global center established in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.

The University of the West Indies offers more than 1000 Certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options exist Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it has access to the largest pool of intellectual and professional knowledge in the Caribbean, working to address critical issues in our region and around the world.

The University of the West Indies is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in the world by the most reputable ranking agencies. Times Higher Education (THE). Since UWI first appeared in the Times Higher Education rankings in 2018, it has performed well across a number of categories, including the World University Rankings, the Golden Age University Rankings (50 to 80 years old), the Latin America Rankings and the Impact Rankings, which are noted for their response to the world’s greatest concerns, as outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including good health and well-being, gender equality and climate action.

to know more information www.uwi.edu