BBC Radio 4 Sunday Programme
Archbishop of York Sunday 15th January 2012
The Archbishop spoke to Edward Stourton on Radio 4's Sunday Programme about the Good Childhood Report and the issues of care for the Elderly.‘The Good Childhood Report’ published by the Children’s Society on 12 January 2012 looked at the ‘subjective well being’ of 30,000 children showed that half a million children are unhappy with their lives. The Archbishop said that the research showed that what children wanted most was to have positive, stable, secure and permanent relationships with family and friends. During his time as a vicar in Tulse Hill, he came across different structures of households and it was clear to him that regardless of the structure, he was keen to ensure that the child was at the centre of it. He spoke out on his support for marriage because he believes “it is the bedrock of society and a gift of God in creation. It has the highest potential for creating family life and it is where the habits of the heart can be created.”
Dr Sentamu also expressed his support for the findings of the Dilnot Commission on the issue of care for the elderly. He said that the Welfare Reform Bill needed more thought and he hoped that the Government would listen. Referring to his article in the Telegraph on 13 January he said that: “we must carry out these shortcuts but we mustn’t shortcut on compassion and dignity in the elderly”.
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