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Runcie dies at 78 after battling cancer

Lord Robert A.K. Runcie, archbishop of Canterbury from 1980 to 1991, died July 11 at his home in St. Albans, England, after a long battle with cancer. He was 78.

Among his "many contributions," according to Archbishop of Canterbury George L. Carey, was Runcie's invitation to Pope John Paul II to visit Canterbury in 1982. "A great deal has flowed from that meeting of two Christian leaders in Canterbury Cathedral," Carey said. It was the first papal visit to Britain since the Church of England split with Rome in the 16th century.

Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, who also noted Runcie's meeting with the pope in 1982, said, "I first came to know Robert Runcie when he visited Chicago while I was bishop. He was wise, irenic and possessed of a wonderful wry wit."

Runcie leaves his wife, Rosalind, and two children, James and Rebecca.

Based on reports from the Anglican Communion News Service.

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