Archbishops of Canterbury and York raise election concerns

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have urged people to “set aside apathy and cynicism” in next month’s general election which, they say, is being contested against the “backdrop of deep and profound questions of identity”, writes Lorna Donlon.

The Church of England’s two most senior clergymen encouraged citizens to “participate” in the election campaign and to consider the core British values of “cohesion, courage and stability”, when they vote.

“Opportunities to renew and reimagine our shared values as a country and a United Kingdom … only come around every few generations. We are in such a time,” they said.

In a three-page pastoral letter to parishes and chaplaincies, Archbishops Justin Welby and John Sentamu raised concerns about housing, the NHS and the vulnerable. There is a need for “urgent and serious solutions” to the housing shortage, a “flourishing health service” that gives support to all and a “just economy” – not one that is over-reliant on debt, “which risks crushing those who take on too much”, according to the letter.

Acknowledging one of the factors behind last year’s Brexit vote, the archbishops wrote that “offering a generous and hospitable welcome to refugees and migrants is a vital expression of our common humanity, but it is not without cost and we should not be deaf to the legitimate concerns that have been expressed about the scale of population flows”.

The archbishops said that “the religious faith of any election candidate should not be treated by opponents as a vulnerability to be exploited” adding that “politics needs to re-evaluate the importance of religious belief”.