Archbishop Says Terrorism Can Be Defeated with Love, Unity
LONDON – The Archbishop of York has called for England to fight potential suicide bombers with love.
The Archbishop of York has called for England to fight potential suicide bombers with love.
Speaking at his presidential address to the Church of England Synod over the weekend, Dr John Sentamu said that it cannot be enough to rely simply upon the security services and laws alone. The archbishop told the General Synod at York University that neighborhoods had to be turned over and renewed to become safe, flourishing, clean and generous.
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In addition, he pointed to the internal motives the bombers had to try and kill and cause terror, saying that these had to be tackled if the fight against terrorism was to be successful.
“Offering a vision of wholeness in a compelling and imaginative way that is so persuasive that would-be bombers would come to see this as their own vision,” Dr Sentamu said.
“A vision that would turn them from outsiders, self-excluding and deluded despisers of others, into belongers,” he added.
“A vision which will help them to see that those they seek to destroy are their own brothers and sisters regardless of their religious affiliations.
“The way to do this is by drawing a large enough circle of love which includes them and us,” he said.
In a call for unity, the Archbishop of York said that revenge and the desire to banish would-be bombers “won't do it.”
He concluded, “Together we can out-imagine, out-plan and out-think would-be bombers and turn would-be enemies into friends by building an inclusive circle of love.
“On our own we can't get it together. Together we can get it.”
