Time to stop the blame game, says Sentamu

PEOPLE should stop “blaming” others for misfortune, the Archbishop of York has said in his Christmas message.

Dr John Sentamu said he had been advising people he had visited in food banks and schools to “really look each other in the eye and see a brother and a sister”.

“You are more likely to be more caring, more supporting, and not always blaming, blaming, blaming,” he told Jeremy Vine on his BBC show. Asked about the impact of Brexit and the election of Donald Trump, the Archbishop said: “Sometimes we take decisions which have consequences not just for ourselves but for other people.

“I think there’s been a lot of frustrated hope in a lot of people. That’s why people voted for Brexit, that’s why people went for Trump, but unfortunately frustrated hope cannot simply be a reaction to something that’s not happening. In this great country I want to hope that people will have a more positive view about each other, because it is a great, great nation. [We need] a more positive view about each other, and not always pulling people down, but building them up.”

He also said he was hopeful for the future of Zimbabwe following the resignation of long-term leader Robert Mugabe last month and the ascension of Emmerson Mnangagwa to the role of president.

Uganda-born Dr Sentamu cut up his clerical collar live on the Andrew Marr Show in 2007 in protest at Mr Mugabe’s actions.