ABC: ... the church owns shares in oil companies
JR: ...have you sold those shares?
ABC: No we haven't - I think what level of investment in that is appropriate is complicated, as the whole field of ethical investment is complicated, and we're only just waking up to some of that complexity.
JR: But the shares have proved hugely profitable
ABC: and we've been reminded very forcibly of that. There's no quick, guilt-free solution to all of this.
JR: well, selling them would help, though, wouldn't it?
ABC: Selling them would help; it would also create and raise a number of other ethical issues, knock-on issues about work we do elsewhere. You don't just instantly move a vast percentage out of your income out of your regular work, pastoral, regnerational so not easy, I'm afraid; I wish it were.
Transcript of Rowan Williams' interview with Justin Rowlatt (Ethical Man) of BBC 2's Newsnight -4th May 2006 (full text here).
It seems that not even the Archbischop of Canterbury knows how to fund the welfare state (or in his case, Church activities) without being dependent on the big bad capitalist system. I was hoping he's come up with something good. Rats!
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