In a statement following the General Election, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and president of the Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales, said:
“This result offers a fresh start with some clarity, but it has to be fresh in more ways than politics. A lot of damage has been done over the past few years. It has been toxic, dominated by blame.
“We have to put that behind us, look each other in the eye and see the good in the other. As we approach Christmas it is the birth of Christ, the embodiment of God’s goodness, that we celebrate. It is that streak of goodness written in every person that we have to see and rediscover. Concentrating on the good in every person is the fresh start we should seek.”