No need to go to church on Christmas Day, says Justin Welby

Elderly and vulnerable churchgoers should think carefully about the risk to themselves before going to church on Christmas Day, the archbishop of Canterbury has warned.

Justin Welby said on Sunday: “Don’t feel under compulsion. Do what is sensible. My mother, who is in her 90s, will not be going to church, I’m sure, because it’s too dangerous.

“There are clergy, who have underlying health conditions, who will not be going to church.”

Instead, people could ring up the Church of England Daily Hopeline, offering prayers, carols and talks specially for Christmas, he said. He also urged them to get out for fresh air, if possible, watch television and “talk to people” on the phone.

Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Welby said that for those with a space at their table due to a loved one who had died from coronavirus, it would be “very hard, and pretending otherwise is not helpful”.

“We have to face our losses, and unless in some way or other we make something of the memories, they attack us.” Christian readings taught that darkness does not overcome the light. “There is that light of memory, the light of hope.”

He urged people to talk, on the phone if not in person. “Share. Think about the person. Bring their memories back. Look for the healing that is there.”

Christmas was not cancelled, only the celebrations were cancelled. Look forward to Easter, when Jesus rose from the dead, he said. “This is a moment God is saying ‘I am with you in the mess, and I have overcome the darkness.’ There is hope.”

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To those spending Christmas alone, he added, he had no illusions about “how dark it feels”. “Give people a call. If you are on your own, spend time on the telephone,” Welby said. Above all, he said, it was important to look to the future. “Dream. What you are going to do, what we are going to do, when this time is over.”