William Temple

Nationality

United Kingdom

Date of Birth

1881

Date of Death

1944

Political
Preference

William Temple was an English Anglican priest, who served as Bishop of Manchester, Archbishop of York and Archbishop of Canterbury. Born in Exeter, England, Temple worked at several parishes in England, and joined the Labour Party in 1918, staying a party member for eight years. During World War I, Temple worked towards more independence of the Church of England from British Parliament through the Life and Liberty Movement and wrote on issues of national interest.

In his thirteen years as Archbishop of York from 1929 to 1942, Temple was active in both national and international ecumenical movements. He was one of the driving forces behind the World Council of Churches as well as the British Council of Churches. As Archbishop of Canterbury, a position he held from 1942 until his death in 1944, Temple spoke before the House of Lords in 1943, urging it to take action against the crimes of the Nazi regime in Germany. He also expressed his opinion that pacifists refusing to fight in World War II to oppose Germany, they would have to be willing to accept responsibility for their inaction.

Temple chaired the British Churches’ Peace Aims Group (PAG) in the 1940s, where he worked towards European unity and influenced post-war reconstruction. Dismissing social internationalism, he contended that while Europe remained a community of highly distinct and varied societies, they shared a spiritual identity in Christendom, finding unity and peace in this Christian identity.