The Archbishop of York has today appealed for unity over Brexit on the UK's first day outside of the European Union after 47 years of membership.
Writing in the Yorkshire Post, Dr John Sentamu said it was important for the nation to accept that the Brexit debate was over and now spend the new decade working towards a common vision.
To this end, the Archbishop pleaded for an end to "point-scoring" as he appealed to people to "actually listen to one another with humility, civility and kindness".
"The very continuing divisions in our country exposed by the Brexit debate, economic uncertainty, and culture wars focused on the politics of identity, highlight the need for us to find grounds to move forward together under a common narrative and shared hope; discovering the wellsprings of solidarity," he said.
While acknowledging that debate would continue over what post-Brexit Britain looks like, the Archbishop said that the country needed to move forward "in a way that least hurts our communities and opens up opportunity for all".
"Of course this will mean debates and disagreements continue on how best to achieve both of these things, but we must now - remainers and leavers alike – recognise that our common aim is to secure the best future for us all outside of the EU rather than as part of it – without fouling up our neighbours' pitch," he said.
Turning his attention to the nature of these debates, he said there needed to be room for people to "change their minds and do so without recrimination".
"How people voted in the past should not determine how we listen to them or value their opinions. St Augustine of Hippo famously remarked that 'every saint has a past and every sinner has a future'," he said.
"We need to be magnanimous, and leave room for people to articulate their future hopes without embarking on archaeological digs into how they expressed their views in the past."
He urged people to stop "othering" and instead asked them to engage in acts of "unusual kindness", as well as rediscover the "divine spark" at work in those they disagree with.
"The debate of the past few years has highlighted that there is no such common ideology over Brexit. What remains is the pragmatism to see this through and come to a place where our common cause in that which we share together triumphs over that which divides us," he said.
