Archbishop praises confident Wales on St Davids Day

The Archbishop of Wales has called the growing profile of Cardiff as an international city a reflection of a “new confidence” in Wales as a nation.

In his St David’s Day address today, Dr Barry Morgan said it was important to rejoice in the capital whilst retaining an interest in the rest of the country.

He said it was possible to be proud to be Welsh and yet still belong to one common humanity.

“The two things are not incompatible,” he said.

The Archbishop said the regeneration of iconic buildings in the Welsh capital, like the Senedd, Millennium Centre and International Cricket Stadium, had helped to make Cardiff a distinctive international city and stimulate the local and national economy.

He also praised the city for making efforts to improve the standard of living of all its citizens. He pointed in particular to a new £3 million hostel for homeless people.

This capital city stands for a new confident Wales and a new confidence in Wales,” he said.

“The city has tried to raise the dignity of life for all its citizens by creating an environment where people can work and carry out their lives in safety.

“It realises that unless there is good news for everyone, there’s good news for no-one and that a city or society is ultimately judged by how it treats its poorest inhabitants.

“So we rejoice in all these good things that have happened in Cardiff. And just as Dewi Sant came to be the patron saint of Wales, so this city can be the focal point for all that is good about our national life, but without forgetting the rest of Wales.”