THE Archbishop of Canterbury, Most Rev. Justin Welby, will on Thursday, June 20, bestow on the Anglican Archbishop of the Province of Kaduna, Most Rev. Josiah Idowu-Fearon, the Cross of St. Augustine.

In a letter informing Idowu-Fearon of the award, Welby said: “One of the awards that I am able to grant to people who have given long and exceptionally distinguished service to the Anglican Communion is the Cross of St. Augustine.

“Your extensive service to the Anglican Communion as a whole in the area of Christian-Muslim dialogue, and your ministry in Nigeria promoting dialogue and reconciliation between Christians and Muslims, has been tireless, and you have displayed courage and vision in often the most difficult of circumstances.

“It would give me great pleasure to honour you by presenting you with the Cross of St. Augustine in the Guard Room at Lambeth Palace on Thursday, June 20, 2013.

“The presentation will take place during a buffet lunch reception, which follows a Eucharist service for the Lambeth Palace community and your guests. The Eucharist begins at 12.30 p.m. in the Crypt Chapel. I do hope that you and your close family and friends will join me for the Eucharist and then gather in the Guard Room after the service.”

Born in 1949, Idowu-Fearon trained for a short period as a soldier, but on realising that he had a calling to serve God, he left the military to train as a priest, and was ordained in 1971 after his studies. He has strong interest in Christian-Muslim relations, having been boosted by his PhD in Islamic Studies.

He served on the 2003-04 Lambeth Commission on Communion, which considered worldwide Anglican unity in response to divisive debates on homosexuality, and was a past president of the Anglican Network for Inter-Faith Concerns.

Idowu-Fearon is also a co-founder of the Centre for the Study of Islam and Christianity in Kaduna and area leader for the Programme for Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa (PROCMURA).

In 2007, he began a five-year renewable term as a Six Preacher (a preaching priest) at Canterbury Cathedral in London, having previously taught at the cathedral’s International Study Centre.

He is married to Comfort, and both have two sons and a daughter.