- Archbishop reaffirms church’s apolitical stance amid Rwanda deportation controversy
- Justin Welby emphasizes love-based action, denounces government’s deportation plan
- Pope Francis administers baptisms, delivers Easter sermon amid health concerns
While urging “love-in-action” to aid those embroiled in conflict, Justin Welby informs the congregation that Anglicans’ political views are “completely diverse.”
In his Easter sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury reaffirmed that the church is not involved in political parties, in contrast to the criticism he received for his prominent rebuke of the government’s contentious Rwanda deportation plan.
Sunday, in front of the congregation, Justin Welby stated that the political views of Anglicans are “completely diverse” and urged “love-in-action” to aid those entangled in conflict, such as children in Gaza and Sudan, Hamas hostages and Ukrainian citizens.
Critics have criticised the high-ranking cleric’s vehement condemnation of Rishi Sunak’s scheme to address the issue of small boat voyages and facilitate one-way flights for asylum seekers to Kigali. The cleric described the plan as “morally unacceptable” and “destructive to the nation.”
A Westminster lecturer previously advised Mr Welby that “handwringing or bell ringing” would not effectively resolve the issue and urged him to “check his white privilege” regarding his dissent towards the Rwanda policy.
During his Easter address, the archbishop instructed the congregation: “We must confront evil and suffering.
“Country lines in our schools, the evil of people smugglers, or the anguish and distress of a family consumed by grief, fury, or substance abuse—each of these causes suffering and distress.
Jesus, the God-man who underwent every adversity and temptation, exhorts us to demonstrate love through our actions.
“Action must be motivated by prayer and guided by wisdom.”
“The church is not political in nature, as its members hold diverse political views.”
“However, our stance is not influenced by opinion polls or human pressure; rather, we demonstrate love through our words and actions from the revelation of God in Jesus.”
We act according to what the church believes God says, as revealed in the Bible, which is reflected in more than 30,000 social initiatives and 8,000 food banks.
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He further stated, “Therefore, let us seek action among the parents of the starving children of Gaza and Sudan who are desperately trying to provide them with food, action among the 25-30% of children in this country who are living in poverty, action among the hostages held by Hamas, action among those in the trenches, cities, and fears of Ukraine, action among those in at least 30 but probably closer to 50 other places of armed conflict.”
For the sake of others rather than ourselves, action-in-love requires us to live sacrificially and generously since God is revealed in Jesus.
After a series of additional defeats in the Lords, the government’s Rwanda legislation, designed to preempt additional legal challenges to the stalled asylum scheme subsequent to the Supreme Court’s ruling that the plan was unlawful, continues languishing in parliamentary limbo. Members of parliament are not slated to revisit the legislation until after Westminster’s Easter break.
A day after unexpectedly avoiding the Good Friday procession at the Colosseum due to health concerns, Pope Francis officiated the Easter vigil service at the Vatican, where he administered baptisms and delivered a 10-minute sermon.
