Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has said he sometimes has doubts in his belief in God.
In an interview with BBC Bristol the leader of the Church of England said he doubted in “lots of different ways”.
He said: “There are moments, sure, when you think, ‘Is there a God?’ ‘Where is God?'”
The archbishop has recently completed a tour of the West Country and made his comments at an event called Standing Room Only at Bristol Cathedral.
When asked about doubt by presenter Lucy Tegg, he said: “It is a really good question. I love the Psalms, if you look at Psalm 88 that’s full of doubt.
“The other day I was praying over something as I was running, and I ended up saying to God ‘look this is all very well, but isn’t it about time you did something, if you’re there?’
“Which is probably not what the Archbishop of Canterbury should say.”
He went on to explain that it was acceptable to occasionally have doubt, and still be a Christian.
He added: “The extraordinary thing about being a Christian is that God is faithful even when we’re not.
“When we get into the wrong place he comes alongside us and says, ‘Right let’s go from here.'”
The archbishop made his comments about doubt in front of a crowd of about 1,000 people, not all of whom were churchgoers, and the event took place on 12 September.
During his tour of the West Country the archbishop spent time visiting schools, churches and local charities, and the tour finished on Sunday. It was the first time he has made an official visit to the region since becoming the leader of the Church of England last year.
A spokesman for Lambeth Palace said: “The remarks were made in the context of an event at Bristol Cathedral during which the archbishop spoke extensively about why he believes in God and how his faith in Jesus Christ has transformed his life.
“The comments in question were made in response to a specific question about whether he had ever struggled with doubts.”
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