The whole issue of refugees, displaced people and the homeless has been on my mind and my heart over the past year. Eileen and I have experienced in many different ways something of the trauma which so many people in this world today are suffering.
As Archbishop of Canterbury, I have had the privilege of visiting a number of Provinces of our Communion and, perhaps more powerfully than ever, I have been brought face to face with the sorrow and brokenness of our world and yet at the same time the most extraordinary Spirit-filled joy as well.
In October we stood in the Sinai Desert, remembering the Exodus, and we saw sites where the holy family is said to have rested on their flight into Egypt. It is an extraordinary experience to stand in a place where such history has been made. Mary and Joseph became displaced homeless people, seeking refuge from tyranny, and their plight is a reminder of the plight of millions today.
In Rwanda in May, we found people scattered from their homes both inside and outside the country, struggling to come to terms with the unbelievable cruelty which nearly destroyed their country in 1994. In Sudan later in the year, we realised the awful suffering of thousands of people, pushed from camp to camp, further and further out into the desert, discarded and unwanted and with so little help and support. And again, in India in February, we learnt something of a whole caste of people, the dalits, who are outcast by virtue of their birth. To be in those places made me realise how exhausted the world is and what challenges there are to our Christian faith.
But I know only too well that it is not just in Africa or Asia that such problems exist. Just a few steps from Lambeth Palace, homeless men and women, young and old, are to be found sleeping on the doorsteps of fashionable shops on the Strand. My visit to the UN in New York confronted me afresh with the problems of living in a modern society that leaves many behind. The world seems to offer so much, yet so few enjoy life to the full. We must try to ensure that all human beings have a place to live. Can we rest well at night knowing a fellow child of God is without shelter?
I am concerned at what appears to be mean-spiritedness, complacency and ignorance, in Church and society alike, which is undermining our commitment to work for change.
And yet, at the same time, I have discovered the remarkable resilience which people show in the face of such trouble. We were greeted by thousands in Sudan full of joy and hope. "While we still sing," they would say, "the tragedy is not complete." Such steadfastness and determination were equally to be found in Rwanda and in India. In each place we found faithful pastors and Church people seeking to live out the Gospel in their communities. I am amazed and deeply thankful for what we have received from so many people in the Anglican Communion this year.
What we can be sure of is this. Our home lies in the heart of the one who was made man - God with us. The Saviour and Prince of Peace opens his arms for all who come to him in faith. Our task is to be the messengers of this good news, to be transparent for Christ among those we encounter day by day. We have just placed a beautiful ebony carving of Mary and the child Jesus in the Crypt Chapel at Lambeth Palace. It was a wonderful gift from the Church in Tanzania. It is a moving reminder of the transformation which occurs when we say "yes" to God. I pray that we may all be willing to take up the call to be Christ's ambassadors in a world longing for the good news of Christmas which is ours to share.
May God continue to bless you richly in 1996.
+George Cantuar