The meeting was the first since Dr Rowan Williams became the newly-appointed Archbishop of Canterbury.

Dr Williams is the head of Anglican church

The senior bishop in the Anglican Church is due to be enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral in February.

Dr Williams is the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury and the first Welshman to be elected for the position for at least 1,000 years.

News of the meeting has come as his stand-in in the Church of Wales, and First Minister Rhodri Morgan, have delivered their Christmas messages.

Dr Williams' role has been taken up in an acting capacity by the Bishop of Llandaff, the Rt Rev Dr Barry Morgan, the senior Bishop of the Church in Wales.

In his Christmas address, Dr Morgan said the millions of pounds raised at charity at this time of year reflected the "millions of people who do care for others".

The central message of Christmas is that, confronted with so much evil and hatred, God in Jesus assures his world that he cares for it and loves it Bishop Barry Morgan

He said: "When there is a disaster be that overseas or in this country the instinctive reaction of most people is to want to do something to help.

"There is something in our make-up as human beings which somehow impels us towards compassion.

"Odd then, that our world finds it so hard to accept that God's character is also one of love and compassion for those who suffer or are in need of any kind.

"Yet the heart of the Gospel and the central message of Christmas is that, confronted with so much evil and hatred, God in Jesus assures his world that he cares for it and loves it.

"Odd that people find it perfectly natural for humans to be caring and compassionate but that they can't quite grasp that the same might be true of God.

Rhodri Morgan: Townships' profound effect on him

"Yet Christians believe that we are capable of showing love precisely because we are made in God's image. It's not the case that God is as compassionate as we are.

"Created by him, we reflect God's compassion because we are his sons and daughters.

"Jesus loved people whom others found unlovable - tax collectors, sinners, lepers - people beyond the pale of respectable Jewish society and in so doing assured them of God's love and acceptance."

Mr Morgan's message also touches on the plight of the underprivileged in the world.

While representing Wales at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, he visited Ivory Park, one of South Africa's largest and deprived townships.

'Squalor'

He said: "The summit had a profound effect on me personally.

"Until I went to Johannesburg there was always a suspicion in my mind that sustainable development was an important, but mainly middle-class preoccupation.

"When you visit a township like Ivory Park you realise that sustainable development is primarily about tackling poverty at home and abroad.

"The township is a sprawl of makeshift huts, home to a population the size of Manchester.

"Winters are bitterly cold on the high veldt and chronic bronchial illness and pneumonia is common, even among children, due to the huts being heated by cheap and sulphurous coal with little ventilation.

"Amid the squalor is the Eco City project.

'Poverty'

"Combining traditional African techniques with modern western technologies, the project aims to create a vibrant local economy with sustainable development as its core principle.

"Waste recycling, paper making, second hand bike refurbishment, smokeless fires, eco-friendly homes, energy conservation, renewable energy from sunlight, water conservation and eco-tourism are just some of the successful projects.

"Poverty of opportunity, justice and environment as much as much as poverty of resources and wealth."