Archbishop of Canterbury praised for response to DNA test shock

He said: "For the Archbishop I think of course it is a surprise but he is dealing with it, I talked to him quite a lot last week, he is dealing with it with his usual maturity.

"His identity is secure, he feels the same person that he was three weeks ago.

"It's intriguing but he finds himself in the position of many other people who discover their father is rather different from the person they thought."

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, from Maidenhead Synagogue, told the Sunday Telegraph that the Archbishop had set a "good example" of how to deal with unexpected news.

He said: "The news does not affect his personal identity in any way - he is who he has become - nor does it lessen his authority as Archbishop."

Bishop Anba Angaelos, the General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, quoted a long passage from the Archbishop's statement on his website saying it was "very moving" and "indicative of the peace, love, forgiveness and resolve that we are not only all called to, but all endowed with if we but allow God's healing, reconciling and comforting presence in our lives".

He added: "These revelations would have been startling and painful enough for any individual and his family to learn and process, but to have them revealed and discussed so publicly will need a very particular grace."

Additional reporting the Press Association.