EVERYONE needs to share the burdens of adversity in difficult economic times.

That was the message given by the Archbishop of Canterbury in his Christmas Day sermon at the Cathedral.

"Faced with the hardship that quite clearly lies ahead for so many in the wake of financial crisis and public spending cuts, how far are we able to sustain a living sense of loyalty to each other, a real willingness to bear the load together?” asked Dr Rowan Williams.

“How eager are we to find some spot where we feel safe from the pressures that are crippling and terrifying others? As has more than once been said, we can and will as a society bear hardship if we are confident that it is being fairly shared and we shall have that confidence only if there are signs that everyone is committed to their neighbour, that no one is just forgotten, that no interest group or pressure group is able to opt out.”

Dr Williams said everyone needed to work positively together in order to rebuild trust and added: “That confidence isn’t in huge supply at the moment, given the massive crises of trust that have shaken us all in the last couple of years and the lasting sense that the most prosperous have yet to shoulder their load.
“If we are ready, if we are all ready, to meet the challenge represented by the language of the 'big society’ we may yet restore some mutual trust. It’s no use being cynical about this; whatever we call the enterprise, the challenge is the same – creating confidence by sharing the burden of constructive work together.”

Dr Williams also used the forthcoming royal marriage to urge people to recognise the significance of the Christian bond of marriage as a symbol of hope for humanity.
“It would be good to think that in this coming year we, as a society, might want to think through, carefully and imaginatively, why lifelong faithfulness and the mutual surrender of selfishness are such great gifts,” he said.

Finally, Dr Williams urged people to remember during this time those in many lands who suffer repression and persecution for their Christian faith.