Paris attacks: Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby admits doubting God, warns against military action

The most senior bishop in the Church of England has admitted that the Paris attacks made him question the presence of God. Justin Welby described how the terrorist attacks had "put in a chink in his armour" of faith.

While it isn't the first time that the Archbishop has admitted to doubting the existence of God, Welby said that he was searching for answers following the brutal attacks that killed 130 people on 13 November.

"Saturday morning, I was out and as I was walking I was praying and saying: 'God, why – why is this happening? Where are you in all of this?'" Welby said during an interview with the BBC's Songs of Praise. "And then engaging and talking to God. Yes, I doubt."

The Archbishop's comments came as Europe is on a heightened security threat from Islamic State (Isis) terrorists. Brussels was on lockdown on Sunday (22 November) as a manhunt was underway for Paris fugitive Salah Abdeslam. Meanwhile, David Cameron is expected to announce his strategy for military intervention in Syria in the coming days.

However, the Archbishop cautioned against a "damaging instant reaction", despite the way that IS terrorists have distorted their faith, calling it "one of the most desperate aspects of our world today".

On military intervention, the Archbishop said: "Two injustices do not make justice. If we start randomly killing those who have not done wrong, that is not going to provide solutions. So governments have to be the means of justice."

Welby said that he and his wife had lived in Paris for five years, further adding to the shock that he felt in the wake of the attacks. He described the city as being one of the happiest places that they had lived in and said it was "heartbreaking" to see the city suffering.