Archbishop of York calls on banks to show same mercy they were shown in 2008 as Covid second wave looms

In a joint letter, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York said the Church has a vital role to play in offering hope and comfort to the nation as it faces an expected second wave of the coronavirus.

Archbishops Justin Welby and Stephen Cottrell set out a stark assessment of the challenges facing the country amid the pandemic, including hunger, homelessness, mental health pressures and domestic violence.

But they said religious institutions are well placed, through networks and partnerships, to help those in most need those who are hungry and homeless.

“Most of all we need to draw close to Christ, and continue to offer the hope and stability of the gospel,” the Archbishops write in a letter to the bishops of the Church of England.

“It is this gospel joy, even in the darkest times, that alone can help us through this crisis, bringing hope and an eternal perspective to the very pressing trials of the moment.”

The letter adds that the country is now “in a situation which threatens the recovery from the huge decline in the economyin the second quarter”.

It said: “The most vulnerable to this second wave are the small companies who employ the most people, and especially those in the hospitality industry.

“It will be for us and others to encourage the banks, who received such help in 2009, to be equally merciful to others as the nation was to them.”

A bank rescue package totalling some £500 billion was announced by the Government in October 2008, as a response to the global financial crisis.

The Archbishops say that despite efforts already made to protect the vulnerable “there will also be a sense of tiredness; the weariness which comes with dealing with yet another threat and difficulty.”

They add: “To face this, we must continue to encourage one another and bear one another’s burdens.”