Diocese of Chichester

Dr Warner suggests to his congregation that "when confronted by war, mass-migration, acute economic inequality, it is the law of love that challenges our conscience and calls us to the reordering of our priorities in the making and keeping of our nation’s laws."

At the start of his sermon the Bishop says:

"I am not going to comment on our Prime Minister’s breach of law and its penalty.But it is worth noting that laws, made by Parliament, do not belong to any Prime Minister: they are the laws of the realm. These laws are not simply a set of rules, like you have for Rotary or the WI.The Law binds us to each other in public bonds of honour and respect. They are to be applied by the judiciary to all people equally.This is easier said than done, but it is how we attempt to sustain truth and justice, irrespective of status, wealth and power."

In the context of the Cathedral's Art of Worship project Dr Warner adds:

That skill and confidence in the work of sacred art has been a powerful reminder of how Christianity came to be so deeply embedded in Ukraine and subsequently spread from there to Russia.The 10^th century historian, Nestor, recounts how in 987 Emperor Vladimir sent envoys from Kyiv to explore the faith of his neighbouring countries.They dismissed Islamic faith because it forbade drinking alcohol and eating pork and they found no beauty in the churches of Germany.But in Constantinople the worship of God in the great church of Hagia Sophia overwhelmed them.“We no longer knew whether we were in heaven or on earth".

You can read the complete sermon here