Sermon from Canterbury looks back at 2012
Delivering his final Christmas Day sermon from Canterbury Cathedral, Rowan Williams also acknowledged how the General Synod's vote against allowing women to become bishops last month has damaged the credibility of the Church.
But he pointed out a reason to be positive, the recently published census statistics indicated that 59% of people still identified themselves as Christian.
Dr Williams spoke of the people he has had the "privilege" to meet during his tenure over the last decade as the head of the Anglican church.
– Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury"It remains true that three quarters of the public still want to identify themselves as having a religious faith of some kind"
More top news
Are striking teachers losing support?
Scores of schools were closed by striking teachers - but is support for them beginning to wane?
What lessons from failure of first free school?
The first free school to fail has closed its doors less than three years after opening. Parents and experts talk to Christine Alsford.
Parents say failing free school was improving
The government said it acted on failing standards when it closed down Discovery New School in Crawley. But was it the right decision?