Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has said that the terrorist attacks in Paris had made him doubt the presence of God.

Justin Welby has admitted that the terrorist attacks in Paris had made him doubt the presence of God.

The Archbishop of Canterbury said he was left asking why the attacks happened and where God was when the militant jihadis struck.

He said he reacted with ‘profound sadness’ at the events, particularly as he and his wife had lived in Paris when he was an oil executive.

Asked if these attacks had caused him to doubt where God was, he said: ‘Oh gosh, yes,’ and admitted it put a ‘chink in his armour’.

Appearing on Songs Of Praise, which will be broadcast on BBC 1 this evening, he said: ‘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 this?” And then engaging and talking to God. Yes, I doubt.’

But he added that he nevertheless had faith that God was alongside people in their suffering and pain.

When asked what his reaction was to the attacks on the French capital, he said: ‘Like everyone else – first shock and horror and then a profound sadness. And, in my family’s case, that is added to because my wife and I lived in Paris for five years.

'It was one of the happiest places we have lived and to think of a place of such celebration of life seeing such suffering is utterly heart-breaking.' 

But he warned against a knee-jerk military response, saying: ‘Two injustices do not make justice.

‘If we start randomly killing those who have not done wrong, that is not going to provide solutions.