The Archbishop of York has
called on the world to show its love of God by working to end
human rights violations.
Dr John Sentamu delivered his Christmas message, in which he
made reference to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, at a
packed York Minster.
He told worshippers that every individual was a "stand-in for
God", who needed to be treated with dignity and respect.
The Uganda-born 58-year-old, who cut up his dog collar on
television earlier this month to demonstrate his solidarity with
people suffering in Zimbabwe, spoke out in support of those who
are struggling throughout the world.
They ranged from those caught in the world's war zones to the
parents of Madeleine McCann and murdered Liverpool schoolboy
Rhys Jones, and to relatives of those killed in the Omagh
bombing.
He said: "In the killing, raping and looting fields of Darfur;
in the broken nation and a broken people of Zimbabwe who have
been force-fed with injustice and can swallow no more; for the
unreconciled children of Abraham in the Middle East - the
Palestinians without a viable state they can call home and
Israelis hungry for peace and security; for the refugees, the
homeless and people caught up in human trafficking; in the walls
of silence about the abduction of Madeleine McCann, the murder
of Rhys Jones and the failure for any to take responsibility for
the Omagh bombing - God is being violated and blasphemed." |