Archbishop of Wales blasts 'bitterness' in 'divided world'

We live in a "brutal, bloody, divided, torn world" which can seem "out of control and unpredictable", the Archbishop of Wales has said.

In his last Christmas message before retiring, Dr Barry Morgan described "bitterness in the air" in the UK.

Urging people to "build bridges not walls", he called 2016 "extraordinary" with Syria's conflict, the refugee crisis, Brexit and Donald Trump votes.

Dr Morgan will preach at Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff, on Christmas Day.

He will stand down at the end of January after almost 14 years at the helm of the Church in Wales, making him the longest serving archbishop in the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Dr Morgan described bitterness in the UK "about Brexit" and in the United States about "a president who has come to power despite his appalling remarks about women, people of other faiths and Mexicans".

He added: "The fact is that in spite of all the outrageous revelations about him, Donald Trump was still elected.

"What does that say about those who voted for him in a country where most people still claim to be religious?"

He described the challenge in a divided world being to show "tolerance and grace" to people with whose views they may totally disagree.

A service at Llandaff Cathedral on Christmas Day starts at 11:00 GMT.