‘There are ways forward we never imagined’: Archbishop of Canterbury says possibility of better and happier world after coronavirus

Justin Welby says we must ‘not just dispose of bodies like we did in the foot-and-mouth episode with cattle’

The Archbishop of Canterbury has said there is the possibility of a better and happier world after the coronavirus pandemic.

The Most Reverend Justin Welby, the head of the Church of England, urged people to “not let fear dominate” as he called for a “resurrection of our common life”.

He told BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: “We’ve gone through so much and we are seeing so much common spirit and attitude ... coming through from the vast majority of people. We mustn’t lose that.”

He added: “There are ways forward we never imagined – at huge cost, with great suffering – but there are possibilities and I’m immensely hopeful.

“Let’s honour those who have suffered, who have served for us, who have cared for us and above all, those who have died by taking that opportunity.

“We will then be a better and happier ... world.”

Mr Welby said we are “not a just society” if we do not “hold up a mirror” after the Covid-19 crisis and re-evaluate how we value each other, including key workers.

He added: “Care for each other; this business of being in touch with people down the street, of beginning to plan the post-pandemic parties, of giving yourself hope from looking to the future will make an enormous difference.

“Look out for those who are alone.”

Mr Welby also used his first national digital Easter Sunday service to call for the UK to not go back to life as it was before the pandemic.

In a video recorded from his London flat, he said: “After so much suffering, so much heroism from key workers and the NHS in this country and their equivalents all across the globe, once this epidemic is conquered we cannot be content to go back to what was before as if all was normal.

“There needs to be a resurrection of our common life, a new normal, something that links to the old but is different and more beautiful.”

He also issued a plea to crematoriums and local authorities to “not just dispose of bodies like we did in the foot-and-mouth episode with cattle”.

“Human beings must be [buried] with dignity even when it has to be swift and with very few people there,” he said.

Pope Francis addresses the faithful at the Vatican after celebrating Easter Sunday Mass in St Peter’s Basilica with no public participation due to the coronavirus outbreak, 12 April 2020. (Andreas Solaro/Pool/via Reuters)

Pope Francis delivered a Catholic mass via livestream from the Vatican without a congregation on Easter Sunday.

He called for solidarity across the globe to confront the “epochal challenge” posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Pope Francis urged political leaders in particular to give hope and opportunity to laid-off workers as he called for sanctions relief, debt forgiveness and ceasefires to calm conflicts and financial crises around the globe.

Additional reporting by agencies.