The suicide of a fellow student at Oxford 33 years ago has been revealed as one of the defining moments in the life of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.

A new biography describes how Hilary Watson fell secretly in love with the charismatic and deeply spiritual 24-year-old doctoral student while he was counselling her in the 1970s.

According to the book (serialised in the London Times), the young theologian was unaware of how his well-intentioned support had resulted in emotional turmoil for a woman four years his senior. He was the last person to see Miss Watson before she took an overdose of sleeping pills. She then called a mutual friend and asked her to “tell Rowan that it's not his fault”.

At Miss Watson's inquest Dr Williams was exonerated of any responsibility but the coroner asked why he had set himself up as a source of “spiritual counsel” without formal training, the biography discloses.

It remains one of the bleakest moments in the Archbishop's life and he admits that the event still haunts him. He told his biographer that Miss Watson's family blamed him at the time “and I think still do. That hurts.”

The tragedy is made public in Rowan's Rule: The Biography of the Archbishop by Rupert Shortt. Dr Williams co-operated in its preparation.

The suicide is described as one of the most significant events in Dr Williams's pastoral and spiritual growth. As a result, he strove to develop a professional approach to therapy and pastrol care and gained a strong understanding of mental illness.

Dr Williams was finishing his doctoral thesis at Wadham College when he met Miss Watson as she started an MSc in Applied Social Studies at St Anne's.

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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article5119808.ece

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