LONDON — England's top religious authority, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said Sunday that he doesn't understand why so many Christians in the U.S. support President Donald Trump.
The Most Reverend Justin Welby told ITV's "Peston on Sunday" program that he "really genuinely" can't comprehend why fundamentalists have provided such a strong base for Trump.
"There's two things going through my mind: do I say what I think, or do I say what I should say? And I'm going to say what I think," he said on the show, referring to the support Trump has garnered, especially from so-called Evangelical Christians. "No, I don't understand it. I really genuinely do not understand where that is coming from."
Image: Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby 'Peston On Sunday' in London, on Nov. 26, 2017.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby 'Peston On Sunday' in London, on Nov. 26, 2017. Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock / AP
Welby did say he would be willing to attend a state dinner in Trump's honor if the president comes to Britain on an official visit.
He noted that he's met with worse people than the president of the United States.
"I spent years and years involved in conflict stuff around the world where I met people who had killed many, many people," he told ITV.
He said part of his job is to meet with people he disagrees with "and to testify with the love of Christ to them and to seek to draw them in a different way."
Trump has accepted an invitation for a state visit to Britain, but no date has been set. Though he said he'd meet Trump, Welby also said, "It'd be unlikely I'd do more than shake hands with him."