THE Archbishop of Canterbury has defended his decision to speak on Sharia law, saying it is right to air the concerns of faith communities.

Dr Rowan Williams told the Church of England's general synod on Monday that although he felt some remarks had been taken out of context, he took responsibility for any confusion.

He was clarifying earlier comments in which he implied adopting aspects of Sharia in the UK was "unavoidable".

Dr Williams told clergy at the synod in Westminster he believed "some of what has been heard is a very long way indeed from what was actually said".

He added: "But I must of course take responsibility for any unclarity in either that text or in the radio interview and for any misleading choice of words that has helped to cause distress or misunderstanding among the public at large, and especially among my fellow Christians."

He went on to say he did not regret addressing the issue of Sharia law.

"I believe quite strongly that it is not inappropriate for a pastor of the Church of England to address issues about the perceived concerns of other religious communities, and to try and bring them into better public focus."

Two General Synod members had called for Dr Williams to resign, and a leading daily newspaper urged its readers to sign a petition calling for Dr Williams to be sacked for "misconduct".

~ Read the Archbishop of Canterbury's original comments >>>