Rowan Williams offers ecclesiastical wisdom – or lack thereof – on the rioting in the UK:

Aug 11 (Reuters) – England’s most senior cleric on Thursday gave his first reaction to riots across the country, saying the government’s stated priority of building stronger communities was now a matter of urgency.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said the violence would “intensify the cycle of deprivation and vulnerability” in Britain, in a statement emailed to Reuters.

“The government has insisted on the priority of creating stronger, better-resourced local communities. This priority is now a matter of extreme urgency. We need to see initiatives that will address anxieties and provide some hope of long-term stability in community services, especially for the young,” he wrote.

I’m unsure as what kind of cycle of deprivation would include in its deprivations Blackberries with which to organise looting parties. I have no doubt that, had the government provided more community centres – offering free Blackberries, perhaps – they would have been looted too.

Rowan Williams has, predictably, placed the blame for the rioting on the government for not providing adequate community services, while, at the same time, missing the obvious fact that the government is to blame for not protecting its citizens.

The kind of long term stability that Rowan is looking for is not provided by governments but by families. What is his church doing to strengthen families? Oh, right, it’s promoting same sex marriage; that should do the trick.