A SIMPLE blessing were the first words uttered by Dr Rowan Williams yesterday after he was formally confirmed as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury.

The former Bishop of Monmouth and Archbishop of Wales prayed: "May the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give you peace," at the conclusion of the formal legal proceedings in St Paul's Cathedral.

The ceremony was presided over by the Archbishop of York, Dr David Hope, and is the second stage in the process of appointing the successor to Dr George Carey, who stepped down at the end of October.

Last month the College of Canons of Canterbury approved Dr Williams at a Canterbury Cathedral service; yesterday's ceremony confirms his election to the wider Church of England.

He will not begin his public ministry as Archbishop of Canterbury until February next year when he is installed at Canterbury Cathedral.

The ceremony included an act of worship as well as the formal legal proceedings, consisting of a series of exchanges over which Dr Hope, accompanied by eight bishops, presided.

Dr Williams also made the oath of allegiance to the Queen. At the end of the ceremony, Dr Hope conferred upon him the "spiritualities" of the See of Canterbury.

The ceremony was performed in Latin before the 18th century, but since around 1733 an English translation had been used.

The hymns sung included the traditional Irish melody Be Thou My Vision, Oh Lord of My Heart, and the hymn Love Divine All Loves Excelling.

Following the ceremony Dr Williams said: "It's a very humbling thing to be included in this long succession of Archbishops and a very humbling thing to be aware of the trust that has been placed in my hands.

"I pray for God's guidance as I seek to meet this new challenge - a challenge I face with a sense of inadequacy but also with hope, with joy and with enthusiasm."

Dr Williams, 52, and his wife Jane and their children Pip, six, and Rhiannon, now 14, will move from their home in Newport to Lambeth Palace later this month.