The Archbishop of Canterbury praised Brighton’s values of diversity, welcome and hospitality during his official visit to the Diocese of Chichester which has its “head office” in Hove.
Archbishop Justin Welby met dozens of refugees from a number of countries at All Saints Hove after a business breakfast with church and community leaders at St Peter’s in Brighton.
All Saints hosted the Network of International Women for Brighton and Hove which numbers more than 300 women from 56 countries who speak 44 languages.
Some of them were busy yesterday (Saturday 5 March) serving food and drink from the One Bread Café in the church, in The Drive, Hove.
The café is part of the One Bread Project and is open to the public inside the church from 8.30am to 2.30pm Monday to Thursday.
As they gave lunch to the archbishop, he spoke about his childhood visits to Brighton, saying: “I used to come here a lot when I was a child – when I was nine or ten – so well over 50 years ago.
“The change is monumental – and better. What is so impressive is the diversity – the life. There’s a really impressive diversity, impressive hospitality and a real welcome.
“Listening to people as well, there are huge struggles here. There are still people who are treated badly because they look foreign.
“There are challenges but the values of hospitality, welcome and diversity are lived out in the community.”
The archbishop, now 66, went to school in Seaford from 1964 to 1968 and came to Brighton several times over those four years.
He said: “I’m really struck by the contrast driving down the seafront, which looks similar, but you go back a few streets and how really different it is.
“There are obvious bits of real poverty with people sleeping rough.”
While he accepted that other places had poverty and rough sleepers, he said: “It’s rather more visible here.”
House prices are astronomical, he added, highlighting the onus on the church, among others, to play its part in trying to deal with the problem.
He cited a Church of England report called Coming Home which was published last year and which urged the church to use its own land and property holdings as part of the solution.
The church is also investing in trying to revive its reach through Strategic Development Funding (SDF), with a £2.5 million grant awarded to the Diocese of Chichester last year.
“There are obvious bits of real poverty with people sleeping rough.”
While he accepted that other places had poverty and rough sleepers, he said: “It’s rather more visible here.”
Oh, did no one tell him that it’s rather more visible here, because the Greens, with the connivance of Labour, have invited anyone and everyone here, regardless of where they are from, and have even encouraged begging and erecting tents anywhere they choose? Did no one mention that it is a City of Sanctuary? What a pity!