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Island Schoolchildren And Churchgoers Quiz Archbishop

It was a question that the Archbishop of Canterbury had never been asked before.

Fifteen-year-old Yasmin Smith, from the Bay C of E School in Sandown, wanted to know if there was anyone who Archbishop Justin Welby had not wanted to pray for.

She asked her question as part of a visit by the Archbishop to the Isle of Wight school. 

He said it was a brand new question for him, and admitted there are people he struggles to pray for.

But often once he starts to talk to God about them, the Holy Spirit helps him to actually believe what he's praying.

Yasmin said:

"I always thought that bishops and archbishops had to pray for everyone. So it was good to hear that he does find it difficult.

"It was a convincing answer."

The Archbishop visited the Bay C of E School and Christ the King College in Newport during the first day of his three-day visit to our diocese.

He met more than 2,000 students for a series of question-and-answer sessions at which no question was off limits.

He talked about his personal faith, his experiences as Archbishop, what it felt like to crown the new King, and the current conflict in Israel and Gaza.

That evening he was quizzed by churchgoers at Holy Trinity Church, Bembridge, and the next day he met staff and inmates at HMP Isle of Wight.

Archbishop Justin began his visit to our diocese at Christ the King College in Newport, a joint Church of England/Roman Catholic secondary school, where he blessed a classroom which was being used as a chapel for the first time.

He was accompanied by the Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Jonathan Frost.

The Archbishop then met students in three different sessions, each of which included worship led by an accomplished student band.

Among the questions he was asked by students were those about how he became Archbishop, how many services he attends each week, and whether he ever regretted becoming a priest.

Among those listening were Laura Campos Albuquerque and Joe Norton-Jones, who moved to the Isle of Wight in the past six months and have started coming to Holy Trinity Church.

"I appreciated his honesty, how raw he was and how personal it was," she said.

"It was great that he was happy not to know the questions in advance and that he wasn't avoiding hard topics. It meant that it felt authentic and he came across as trustworthy."

Day Two of the Archbishop's visit to our diocese began with a breakfast with clergy from across the Isle of Wight, held at Holy Trinity Church, Bembridge.

Parish clergy, retired clergy and chaplains heard the Archbishop talk about the vital role of parish priests, and the need to ordain more clergy.

Archbishop Justin and Bishop Jonathan then travelled to HMP Isle of Wight, where he spoke to inmates, chaplains and prison officers in the chapels of both the Albany and Parkhurst sites of the prison.

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