PN Member Archbishop John Sentamu Urges UK to Lead Action Against IS

The Archbishop of York John Sentamu has issued an urgent plea for the UK Government to protect religious minorities in Iraq and offer asylum to those in desperate need.

In a statement published on his website, Sentamu condemns the "daily unfolding horrors in Iraq" and insists that Cameron's government must "now take a lead both internationally and domestically to respond".

"The events in Iraq demonstrate a fundamental truth about humanity and its unbridled capacity for brutality," the Archbishop writes.

"I have witnessed first-hand the horrors of brutality and its dehumanising impact upon perpetrators in addition to the untold suffering of victims. Unbridled violence brings untold suffering to victims but also dehumanises perpetrators to such an extent that murder becomes an act of the ordinary instead of a sin against the sanctity of human life."

He calls on the UK government to show leadership in this time of crisis: "Domestically the time has come for the Government to show leadership in offering asylum to those at risk of persecution...The Government must show that it has the courage to offer sanctuary to the suffering and to demonstrate that right policies triumph over political calculations."

PN Member Archbishop of York John Sentamu is Primate of England and Metropolitan, a member of the UK House of Lords and of the Privy Council, a body of advisers to the sovereign in the United Kingdom.

Article based on "UK must lead action against ISIS says Archbishop of York" by Christian Today. 

See The Telegraph for additional information. 

Photo courtesy of Diocese of Liverpool.