The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws from The University of the West Indies.

A special convocation will be held on July 20th in Jamaica, to coincide with his visit to that island to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Jamaica and The Cayman Islands.

UWI says Archbishop Welby has played a key role in leading the Church of England and the Anglican Communion in engaging in discourses of social justice as a theological practice.

It says, “He has spoken and written about the Church facing up to its past. He has called for affirmative action that seeks to address slavery as a crime against humanity. Importantly, he is an advocate of the need for promoting healing, empowerment, and reconciliation.”

In this regard, he is described as a contributor to the long tradition of liberation theology that promotes equality and fairness for all.

Commenting on the conferral, Archbishop Welby said, “It is such a privilege to receive this honour at The University of the West Indies during my visit to Jamaica. As a university with social justice as part of its core mission, UWI is at the forefront of the global reparatory justice movement – and I am humbled to be awarded this Honorary Doctorate.”

He also spoke about the need to confront the past saying, “As a church we stand on the shoulders of giants in this field, and much of the credit must go to the researchers, academics and the independent Oversight Group, who have helped to inform our approach and guide us to this point in time. Transatlantic Chattel Slavery was and has always been blasphemy, and I pray that we will continue our work to create a fairer future in the spirit of deep repentance for this egregious wrong. I thank Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, along with the faculty and staff at The University of the West Indies for hosting us, and look forward to learning more about the invaluable work they are doing in this field.”