To be patriotic is to appreciate, and be grateful for, all that is valuable in the country

Archbishop with children

THOUGH I am a Ugandan by birth, I am proud to live in England and wave the flag of St George.

I encourage everyone to rejoice in the land that we live in. I hope the feast of St George, the patron saint of England, will be a day of celebration.

To be patriotic is to appreciate, and be grateful for, all that is valuable in the country you live in.

It does not require you to be a xenophobe or a blinkered nationalist. The failure to recognise and to appreciate the goodly heritage of one's country of residence is a sign of an all-round ingratitude. Ingratitude in turn breeds cynicism. We should be proud of our country and not be afraid to show it.

I was shocked by the results of a recent report commissioned by This England magazine.

This report stated that 40 per cent of English people felt England had completely lost its national identity and 25 per cent said political correctness had left them feeling ashamed of their nationality.

It also seems that only ten per cent of those questioned in England would happily fly the national flag.

Well, I will be part of that group today as I will have the St George's flag flying from Bishopthorpe Palace.

This St George's Day I have a question for you: Are you proud of the country you live in? And, if not, what are you going to do about it to make it better

There is an inherent responsibility on us as citizens not just to point out where things are going wrong but also to come up with suggestions and solutions that will address those problems.

Britain today seems to spend too much time indulging itself in a "blame culture".

It seems that we want our world to be perfect and if it isn't we want the power to hold somebody accountable. Personally, I don't think in most cases that is particularly helpful.

We can absolve ourselves of responsibility or duty for the things that happen in our communities, but the truth is that we are the community.

A rise in individualism has increasingly meant that people see themselves as an island separate from their neighbours - in this situation "community" is not us, it is everyone else out there.

For me that idea is problematic.

In reality, when we look at the problems within our society and want someone to blame, we should take a look in the mirror. It is my fault, your fault, our fault - and together we can put things right.

What we need is a fresh understanding of community. A public-minded manifesto of truth and hope.

A society where the poor are valued. An attitude that says, "who is my neighbour and how can I help," not one that says, "I am all right and everyone else can look after themselves". Economic and social individualism, and an ideology of unquenchable consumerism, have replaced the values of love, hope and justice.

We are all interconnected but this is not about charity, it is about justice.

It is a time for being bold, not a time for being over-cautious.

When we see growing inequalities in areas such as income, health, education and housing, do we shrug our shoulders and thank God it is not us who is suffering, or do we stand up and call out for justice?

In spite of wide-scale public investment and regeneration there are still massive problems and injustices. But this does not mean we should give up the fight. We should be looking for a way forward.

Life is like a revolving door. If you move too fast you will never get out - you'll just end up going around in circles.

We need to slow down and look at what is around us. Look at your neighbours. Look at your communities. Look at yourselves.

This downturn is not just about economics. We need a deeper vision. It is not about what our Government can do for us. It is about what we can all do for our neighbours - and ourselves.

We also need a cultural and spiritual renaissance.

As far as I am concerned, you cannot separate belief in God from belief in society and public service.

Trust in God is not a private thing - it is a public calling to be shown through our actions to others.

Remember the concept of "Cool Britannia" during the Nineties, where we believed Britain could achieve anything. We felt like the eyes of the world were upon us and following our lead.

That is something that we need to reignite in our society - not necessarily the guitar pop and trendy fashions, but the idea of renewed national and civic pride.

Let us be the change-makers. Let us be the ones who set the agenda. Let us make Britain the envy of the world again because we want to do what is right and hunger for justice.

Maximum financial output is not the true end of human enterprise and does not guarantee that we will be happy, fulfilled individuals.

It does not guarantee that our communities will be better places either.

While it may be true that if I earn more than my neighbour I should contribute more financially, what we need to recognise is that we can contribute to our society in many different ways.

It is not just about money - our time and talents are also very valuable.

You do not need a bulging wallet to spend a few hours a week running a club for young people, helping at a home for older people or caring for a sick neighbour.

Even those who do not have much money can volunteer their wisdom and skills to those around them - these things are very valuable to our communities.

We need to nurture education and life. We need the vision to do what is right, but also the will to carry it through.

One of the great traditions of this country is our hospitality and we should invite others to join us today in celebrating St George.

This article originally appeared in The Sun on Friday 23 April 2010. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/2944518/Pulpit-call-to-rejoice-in-the-land-we-live-in.html