The Church of England has a “God-given” duty to speak out for the national good and promote social solidarity at a time of economic uncertainty, said the Archbishop of York.

John Sentamu warned that the extent to which the national consensus represented by the welfare state was now “under threat” was a “major concern” and there was an urgent need for the Church of England to respond to this development. He told members of the General Synod, the Church’s national assembly, that there were “worryingly” high levels of unemployment and a gulf between “those who have and those who don’t” and are struggling to make ends meet.

He added that there were deep cuts in public expenditure and rising levels of student and trade union unrest.

“For me, and I’m sure for many others, a major concern is the extent to which the social compact which the welfare state represented is now under threat,” he told the General Synod.

“There is an urgent need for the Church once more to rise to the challenge and to lead reflection on how the social compact can be refashioned in ways that make sense of today’s serious social and economic realities.” In his Presidential address to the Synod, in London, Dr Sentamu defended the Church of England’s role as a national Church in the face of attacks. “We live in fractious and uncertain times in which the role of the national church, like other elements in the social fabric, is constantly questioned and often attacked,” he said.