Archbishop laments 'broken bonds and abused trust' in British society
Dr Rowan Williams to refer to the aftermath of summer riots and financial speculation in his Christmas Day sermon
The Archbishop of Canterbury is to speak of the "broken bonds and abused trust" in a British society torn apart by riots and financial speculation in his Christmas Day sermon.
Delivering his sermon from Canterbury Cathedral, Dr Rowan Williams will ask the congregation to learn lessons about "mutual obligation" from the events of the past year.
He will say: "The most pressing question we now face, we might well say, is who and where we are as a society. Bonds have been broken, trust abused and lost.
"Whether it is an urban rioter mindlessly burning down a small shop that serves his community, or a speculator turning his back on the question of who bears the ultimate cost for his acquisitive adventures in the virtual reality of today's financial world, the picture is of atoms spinning apart in the dark."
It is not the first time the archbishop has referred to last August's disturbances, which spread from Tottenham, north London, to cities across the country.
Writing in the Guardian this month, Williams spoke about the "enormous sadness" that he felt during the riots.
But he also said the government should do more to rescue young people "who think they have nothing to lose".
The Church of England has also been caught up in the struggle between anti-capitalist protesters camped in front of St Paul's Cathedral since October and the Corporation of London, which is fighting a legal battle to disband the campsite.
After initially giving support to the protesters, the canon chancellor of St Paul's, Dr Giles Fraser, resigned from his position on 27 October, following reports suggesting a rift between clergy over what action to take concerning the activists.
And W! illiams suggested in November he was sympathetic to a "Robin Hood" tax on share and currency transactions.
In his Christmas Day sermon, he will use the Book of Common Prayer which will celebrate its 350th anniversary in 2012 as an example of how ideas of duty and common interest can be expressed.
He quotes the Book of Common Prayer's Long Exhortation to say: "If ye shall perceive your offences to be such as are not only against God but also against your neighbours; then ye shall reconcile yourselves unto them; being ready to make restitution."
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