The Archbishop and the 'Footballers' Wives'

The Archbishop of Canterbury has turned on the TV drama Footballers' Wives, citing it as a symbol of selfishness in his Easter message to the diocese of Canterbury.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has turned on the TV drama Footballers' Wives, citing it as a symbol of selfishness in his Easter message to the diocese of Canterbury.

Dr Rowan Williams holds up the salacious antics of Amber, Tanya and their scantily-clad co-stars as an example of a "worldly point of view", telling church-goers that the superficiality, adultery and greed featured in the ITV series represent the distorted priorities true Christians seek to banish.

"[It is] what you see on Footballers' Wives... a world in which charity and fairness, generosity, a sense of perspective about yourself are all swept aside," he said in a speech reproduced in the diocese's newspaper, Outlook,

It is the latest in a series of pop-culture references from the Archbishop. A spokesman said he was using the example to simplify what is often thought of as a "tricky" piece of scripture.

Dr Williams quotes an obscure passage from St Paul, who asked Christians to look further than a society "enslaved by rivalry, fear and self-seeking", that is "almost all to do with different kind of selfish behaviour."

A spokesman for the Church of England said the message was another example of his common touch: "The archbishop is referencing contemporary landmarks - something he is particularly skilled at doing."

During last year's debate over gay rights within the Anglican communion, Archbishop Williams warned the General Synod that the Church was becoming a soap opera.

The archbishop also uses the Easter message to exhort the British public to address conflict around the world. "There will still be much to sort out, but we shall get nowhere if we don't start."