Faith and the election
The role of faith in the upcoming general election has been highlighted
Faith has a central role to play in politics and the general election campaign, according to the archbishops of Canterbury and York.
In a pastoral letter to the parishes and chaplaincies of the Church of England, archbishops Justin Welby and John Sentamu urged people to set aside ‘apathy and cynicism’ and draw new inspiration from the ancient Christian virtues of ‘love, trust and hope’.
The three-page letter encourages voters to remember Britain’s Christian history and heritage and, following divisions of recent years, it calls for reconciliation drawing on shared British values based on cohesion, courage and stability.
Christians have a duty, the letter states, to play an active part in the election, and there is a call for space for faith in political debate.
The archbishops say that politicians must be free to speak openly about their own beliefs and convictions, and be treated fairly for doing so.
