Christians can look forward to Christmas with hope despite concerns around the spread of omicron, the Bishop of London has said.
Bishop Sarah Mullally is encouraging people to take steps to protect each other in the run-up to Christmas as the wearing of face masks comes back into force in places of worship again.
The Church of England has updated its guidance to include mandatory face masks after the government moved to Plan B in an effort to limit the spread of the new variant.
In a message ahead of the nation's second pandemic Christmas, Mullally said the level of concern about omicron was warranted.
"As we look forward to celebrating again the coming of Jesus into our world, we can do so with hope," she said.
"Few of us imagined when we first heard of the coronavirus at the beginning of last year that we would now be approaching our second Christmas of a global pandemic.
"The recent emergence of the new Omicron variant and the evidence we've seen already of its rapid spread is a cause of real concern."
Mullally, who chairs the Church of England's Covid Recovery Group, urged people to care for one another but also to stay hopeful in spite of the challenging circumstances.
"And while we are hugely thankful for the rapid development and mass rollout of the vaccines - and the current booster programme - there are important steps we should take now to protect ourselves and each another," she said.
"As Christians we have a duty to care for one another, especially those who are most vulnerable, and the latest measures announced by the Government should offer some extra protection and reassurance for people.
"Caring for one another, sharing, hope, faith and most of all the knowledge that God is with us are at the heart of Christmas.
"This Christmas we will be coming together – whether in person or online – to worship God and celebrate his coming into the world as a human being like us.
"Amid all that we have been through together in the last two years that hope is as strong as ever."
