Archbishop urges Wales to be patient during 'firebreak'

People in Wales may be disappointed to be entering a two-week ‘firebreak’ lockdown today but the Archbishop of Wales is urging them to be patient and not downhearted.

The Archbishop, John Davies, says the firebreak will impact on all our lives and will be particularly difficult for those who had just started to come out of the last lockdown. However, he urges people to be patient and to respect the advice being given.

Archbishop John says, “The two-week ‘firebreak’ is going to impact on the lives of all of us. As a church community, we are of course disappointed. It means that our church buildings are going to be closed for three Sundays. That's a particular blow, of course, for people who are perhaps just only now getting used to the fact that their buildings are able to be reopened for worship.

“So if you're disappointed, I understand. But please don't be downhearted. Please remember to be patient in these times of adversity. It's only two weeks so please try your very best to respect what you're being asked to do.”

The Archbishop urges people to pray for those around them, particularly those whose livelihoods will be affected or whose mental health may suffer.

He also asks for prayers for those charged with giving advice and making decisions.

“Please try and remember that they do all of that to try and maintain, as best they can, a way of life that we can still sustain and they do it doing their best to try and benefit us all in these difficult times. So my keyword is, not disappointment, my keyword is patience, please.”

You can watch the Archbishop’s full message here.