Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has revealed that he prays in tongues every morning, insisting that the practice is “not something to make a great song and dance about”.
In an interview with Christian radio station Premier, Welby - who became the Church of England’s senior cleric in 2013 - said that he rises at 5am and begins the day with the ritual.
However, he added: “Given it’s usually extremely early in the morning it’s not usually an immensely ecstatic moment.”
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Speaking in tongues, or glossolalia, is “a phenomenon in which Christians speak in languages unknown to the speaker, or in a 'divine language' when praying to God or as an act of worship,” says Premier. It is particularly common in pentecostal and charismatic sects.
In the same interview, Welby also described how he believed that he could “hear from God through other people with words of knowledge or prophecies”.
The archbishop is “associated with the evangelical wing of the Church of England”, where speaking in tongues and prophesying are common practices, says The Guardian.
However, many Anglicans “fear that such worship can alienate non-Christians”, the newspaper adds.
Welby has previously spoken of how he first encountered the phenomenon as a new convert at the age of 19.
In a video message to the Elim Pentecostal branch of churches in 2015, he said that he began speaking in tongues two weeks after becoming a Christian.
The archbishop said he had been “overwhelmed by the love of God” as he read John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
“It was from that moment and in the days that followed I realised that the Holy Spirit of God had touched me in a very powerful way,” he said. “I began to speak in tongues and began to learn of the intimacy that Christ brings to us.”
