Archbishop of Canterbury says representation of Jesus as white must be reconsidered in light of Black Lives Matter protests

“Yes, of course I do,” he said, adding that Jesus was portrayed differently in countries around the world. He said he was regularly in contact with Anglican Church leaders around the world, who did not portray Jesus as a target.

“You go into their churches and you don’t see a white Jesus, you see a black Jesus, or a Chinese Jesus, or a Jesus from the Middle East, which is, of course, the most accurate.

“You see a Fijian Jesus, you see Jesus portrayed in as many ways as there are cultures, languages ​​and understandings.”

Welby added that the representations of Jesus were not, however, “whom we adore,” but rather served as “a reminder of the universality of the God who became fully human.”

In response to calls for the removal of monuments related to UK imperialist history and the slave trade, he said the statues at Canterbury Cathedral would be subject to revision.

“We are going to look very carefully, put them in context and see if everyone should be there,” he said.

“The question [about whether they should all be there] It arises, of course, and we’ve seen it all over the world. “

The movement to tear down and disfigure controversial statues has gained steam in the UK, as well as in Europe and the US, but has divided public opinion, with critics criticizing it as the “mob rule,” while others they applaud it as a way to tackle “systematically racism.”

CNN’s Jack Guy contributed to this report.