A Petersfield church will welcome one of the world’s most important religious figures next weekend.

The Archbishop of Canterbury will conclude a three-day visit to the Diocese of Portsmouth with an evening service in St Peter’s next Sunday.

The Most Rev Justin Welby will meet some Anna Chaplains and see a ‘Messy Vintage’ session during his visit to the parish church for Evensong. 

He will also be interviewed by the founder of Anna Chaplaincy, former BBC and ITV presenter Debbie Thrower, during the service.

The Archbishop will also join worshippers celebrating the 100th anniversary of Wilfrid’s Church in Cowplain on the same day with a a question-and-answer session and lunch following a morning service.

The first two days of the tour will concentrate on the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth. 

It’s the latest in a series of visits the Archbishop has made to southern dioceses with Guildford and Chichester welcoming the Church of England figurehead in recent years.

Archbishop Justin said: “I’m really looking forward to my trip to the Diocese of Portsmouth.”

The full programme for the weekend can be seen at www.portsmouth.anglican.org/archbishop