George Leonard Carey, former archbishop of Canterbury and head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, has been named distinguished visiting scholar at the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress.

In a series of short visits to the Kluge Center, Lord Carey will research and explore "poverty and the role of religious communities in either hindering development or making development possible." His first three-week visit will start Nov. 15, 2005. He will return in 2006 for several more periods of research. While in Washington, he will be hosted by All Saints' Episcopal Church, in Chevy Chase, Md., and will be archbishop-in-residence at the parish.

Born in the East End of London in 1935, Lord Carey, the son of a porter, left school at the age of 15 and began work with the London Electricity Board. He then served with the British armed forces in Iraq in the 1950s and later attended King's College, London, and the London College of Divinity. Ordained deacon in the Church of England in 1962, he became curate at a North London church and joined the staff at Oak Hill Theological College as a lecturer in theology. Later, he moved to St. John's College, Nottingham, where he received his doctorate and served as chaplain. As vicar of St. Nicholas Church, Durham, he led the church in a program of expansion and renewal, describing his work there in a book, "The Church in the Market Place" (1984).

In 1982, he was appointed principal of Trinity College, Bristol, and he served as amember of the Theological and Religious Studies Board of the Council for National Academic Awards. Carey became bishop of Bath and Wells in 1988 and, in 1991, archbishop of Canterbury. As archbishop of Canterbury, he was regarded as Britain's senior Christian and spiritual voice and leader of the nearly 70 million member worldwide Anglican Communion.

Following his retirement as archbishop in 2002, he was named Lord Carey of Clifton. He continues to engage in dialogue with Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders through the Alexander Declaration Process, which attempts to bring these faith communities together in Israel and Palestine in a business-driven initiative founded by the World Economic Forum. With Prince Turki, Saudi ambassador to the United Kingdom, and others, he strives to strengthen links between the West and Islam.

Lord Carey is the author of numerous books on such theological issues as understanding of Christ, ecumenism, Anglican relationships with the Roman Catholic Church and the existence of God. Among them are: "I Believe in Man" (1975), "God Incarnate" (1976), "The Church in the Marketplace" (1984), "The Meeting of the Waters (1985), "The Gate of Glory" (1986), "The Message of the Bible" (1986), "The Great God Robbery" (1989), "I Believe" (1991), "Sharing a Vision" (1993), "Spiritual Journey" (1994), "My Journey, Your Journey" (1996), "Canterbury Letters to the Future" (1998) and "Jesus 2000: The Archbishop of Canterbury's Millennium Message" (1999).

Through a generous endowment from John W. Kluge, the Library of Congress established the Kluge Center in 2000 to bring together the world's best thinkers to stimulate and energize scholarly discussion, distill wisdom from the Library's rich resources and interact with policymakers in Washington. The Kluge Center houses senior Kluge chairs, other senior-level chairs, senior distinguished scholars and nearly 25 postdoctoral fellows. For more information about any of the fellowships, grants and programs offered by the John W. Kluge Center, contact the Office of Scholarly Programs, Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, DC 20540-4860; telephone (202) 707-3302, fax (202) 707-3595, or visit the Web at www.loc.gov/kluge