The Bishop of Dover has warned of greater division between communities and minority groups on Christmas Eve.

Speaking on the KM Community Podcast, Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin commented on how the divided political landscape has played a part in encouraging intolerance.

Listen to Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin on the KM Community Podcast

She said: "We've driven a ginormous horse and carriage through the lives of our community.

"What we have done, inadvertently perhaps, is that we have somehow created 'them and us.' That's highly damaging, particularly for a nation."

Her first sermon as Bishop in Canterbury touched on similar themes, asking people to focus on what unifies us rather than what divides us.

She also believes much of the social unease across the country comes from a lack of national identity.

The religious leader said: "We've never really looked in the mirror and asked 'who are we' as British people and accepted the fact that we are not some sort of monochrome one blood.

"Underneath the paintwork is exactly the same thing."

Bishop Rose said faith could play a role in forging a greater tolerance between communities.

She said: "I think the church has a responsibility of claiming the reality that we are one human race, let's begin there."

Her consecration was on November 19 at St Paul's Cathedral, becoming the Church's first female black bishop.

Prior to her new position she was the Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, working closely with John Bercow.

"We've driven a ginormous horse and carriage through the lives of our community..." Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin

The cleric wants to encourage people to be more politically engaged than ever before.

She said: "I don't want people just on the hook when an election is called, to start running around like headless chickens thinking, 'how am I going to vote', or just going with the newest soundbite that sounds good.

"I want us throughout the years to be engaging politically. Right from the start I want the people of God, the community, to be asking questions of their parliamentarians.

"Go and see them."

Over this year's holiday period, Bishop Rose hopes people will take some time to reach out to those who need support.

She said: "God came to live amongst us and within us so that we could truly know what it means to live with one another.

"And that also means not just the people who look like you, because it's very easy for us to find the people who are not very prickly.

"But at Christmas time, we're being asked to go beyond the nice ones, and just to reach out to those who life has dealt a bad card."

Bishop Rose is also former Chaplain to the Queen.

She replaces, as Bishop of Dover, the Rt Rev Trevor Willmott, who had the post for 10 years and retired on May 12 this year.

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