The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has kicked against the United Kingdom’s intention to relocate its asylum seekers to the East African country of Rwanda, saying the policy cannot stand “the judgment of God”.

On Easter Sunday, Mr Welby made his comments during the sermon at Canterbury Cathedral. He said the plan announced by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson posed “serious ethical questions”.

“The details are for politics and politicians. The principle must stand the judgment of God and it cannot,” Mr Welby said. “It cannot carry the weight of our national responsibility as a country formed by Christian values, because subcontracting out our responsibilities, even to a country that seeks to do well like Rwanda, is the opposite of the nature of God who himself took responsibility for our failures.” 

On Thursday, the Johnson administration  announced that anyone who had entered the United Kingdom seeking refuge since the start of the year “may” be relocated to Rwanda

Home Secretary Priti Patel said that those relocated to Rwanda “will be given the support including up to five years of training, integration, accommodation, health care, so that they can resettle and thrive.”

The plan has faced backlash since being announced, with groups raising concerns over human right violations.  

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) condemned the plan, expressing “strong opposition and concerns”.

“People fleeing war, conflict and persecution deserve compassion and empathy. They should not be traded like commodities and transferred abroad for processing,” UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Gillian Triggs said in a statement.

Amnesty International UK’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Director Steve Valdez-Symonds described the plan as “shockingly ill-conceived.”

“Sending people to another country — let alone one with such a dismal human rights record — for asylum ‘processing’ is the very height of irresponsibility and shows how far removed from humanity and reality the Government now is on asylum issues,” Mr Valdez-Symonds said.