William Temple (bishop)

William Temple (* October 15, 1881 in Exeter, † October 26, 1944 in Kent) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1942 to 1944 and a leading representative of the ecumenical movement.

Life

He was the second son of Frederick Temple, who also was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1895 to 1902. In 1909 he received his ordination. At this time he held a lectureship still (1904-1910) of Philosophy at Queen 's College, Oxford. He quickly rose in the ecclesiastical hierarchy: Temple became Bishop of Manchester (1921-1929), then Archbishop of York (1929-1942) and in 1942 Archbishop of Canterbury.

Temple was one of the most important personalities of the Life -and- Liberty - movement that campaigned for autonomy of the Anglican Church. He supported the labor movement and aimed at economic and social reforms. As the first president (1908-1924) of the Workers ' Educational Association, he joined the Labour Party at. He was involved in the ecumenical movement, was present at the Lausanne Conference (1927 ) and prepared the 1937 World Conference of Churches in Edinburgh. William Temple was also involved in the organization of the conference Malverner (1940 /41). In addition, he contributed to the establishment of the British Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.

William Temple was the first Archbishop of Canterbury, who received a cremation. This contributed significantly to the acceptance of cremation in England. His ashes were buried in the garden of the cloister of the Cathedral of Canterbury in the vicinity of his father's grave.

Works

• The Creative Mind 1917
• Nature, Man and God 1934
• The Church Looks Forward in 1944