In a powerful Christmas Day address, the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury has issued a clarion call for national unity, urging the public to find common ground in their shared humanity amidst divisive debates on immigration.
A Sermon of Hope and Interruption
Delivering the sermon at St Paul's Cathedral in her current role as Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally declared that joy is born precisely where despair expects to triumph. She encouraged the congregation to become people who "make room"—in their homes, churches, and public conversations.
"The joy asks us to allow our lives to be interrupted by the needs of others, just as the people of Bethlehem were interrupted," Mullally stated. She framed this as a vital response to a society burdened by economic pressures, marginalisation, and the hardship of inequality.
Addressing National Divisions
The bishop directly confronted one of the UK's most polarising issues. "Our national conversations about immigration continue to divide us, when our common humanity should unite us," she asserted. Mullally acknowledged that such challenges can create a sense that the world is "fraying at the edges," but posited that holding fast to joy constitutes an "act of resistance" that meets suffering with courage.
She emphasised the Christian message that God chose to be born into an imperfect world of limited resources, political tension, and crowded homes—a world much like our own. "God does not wait for perfect conditions. God arrives in the midst of the incomplete," she told the Christmas congregation.
Archbishop of York Speaks of 'Walls and Barriers'
The call for unity and a focus on shared humanity was echoed by the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, in his own Christmas sermon. He spoke of becoming "fearful of each other, and especially of strangers," which leads us to "spurn a common humanity."
Cottrell recounted a recent visit to the Holy Land, where he said he was stopped at checkpoints and intimidated by local Israeli militias who prevented him from visiting Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank. He described a nativity scene carving given to him by YMCA workers in Bethlehem, which depicted a large wall blocking the three kings from the stable—a symbol of the physical and metaphorical barriers dividing communities.
"I also think of all the walls and barriers we erect across the whole of the world," he said, "and perhaps, most alarming of all, the ones we build around ourselves and construct in our hearts." He warned that by shielding ourselves from strangers—whether the homeless, refugees, or disillusioned youth—we risk failing to welcome Christ himself.
Pope Leo Decries Conditions in Gaza
From the Vatican, Pope Leo used his first Christmas sermon since his election in May to highlight the plight of Palestinians in Gaza. Reflecting on Jesus being born in a stable, the Pope said God had "pitched his fragile tent" among humanity.
"How, then, can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold?" he asked during the service at St Peter's Basilica. Pope Leo also lamented the global suffering caused by war, describing the "fragile flesh of defenceless populations" and the "senselessness" felt by young people forced to take up arms.
Path to Canterbury
Dame Sarah Mullally, a former Chief Nursing Officer for England who was made a dame in 2005, has been the Bishop of London since 2018. She was named as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury in October. Her journey to the leadership of the Anglican Communion will be formalised on 28 January at a Confirmation of Election ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral, where she will legally become the Archbishop.
She will remain Bishop of London until that date, with her enthronement scheduled for 25 March at Canterbury Cathedral. She succeeds the 105th archbishop, Justin Welby, who formally resigned in early January following his announced intention to step down in late 2024 over his handling of a major church abuse scandal.
The Christmas messages from senior Christian leaders collectively underscored a theme of compassion, interruption for the sake of others, and a urgent plea to look beyond division to our shared human experience in a troubled world.
