The archbishop, who is the head of the Church of England, also reiterated that “there are serious ethical issues regarding the use of deterrence to stop asylum seekers trying to reach our shores.”
“Like many, I oppose sending vulnerable and traumatized people more than 4,000 miles without their consent and paying another country to receive them,” he said, adding: “For years, the hostile environment has not reduced the number of people seeking refuge here.
“This approach does not lead to better or fairer results for anyone. We can and must do better. “
The archbishop used his Easter sermon to criticize Downing Street after the government announced that refugees arriving in the UK illegally would be given a one-way ticket to East Africa.
He said politics was “contrary to the nature of God” and raised “serious ethical issues”.
The Rev. Stephen Cotrel, the Archbishop of York, also joined the debate, saying he was “horrified” by the plans as a full-scale attack on government policy began.
The intervention of the archbishops led Ben Bradley, a Conservative MP from Mansfield, to say last week: “I think we separated the church from the state a long time ago, so, as I said before, Justin did not comment on government policy.
Earlier this month, Interior Minister Priti Patel signed a memorandum with Rwanda to agree to send refugees arriving illegally in the United Kingdom in East Africa.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Ms. Patel also appears to be accusing the archbishop of not “understanding” politics.
The Home Office has repeatedly defended the plan, saying the UK has a “proud history” of supporting those in need, and resettlement programs have provided “safe and legal ways to a better future” for hundreds of thousands of people.
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