Archbishop of Canterbury visits school in Maidstone ahead of Easter celebrations

As part of a week of visits, the Archbishop of Canterbury took the time to answer the many questions of primary school students in Maidstone.

Transcript

00:00 It's that time of year again. Spring has sprung and with the arrival of the good weather

00:04 comes Easter. But do we still keep in mind Easter's Christian origins or have brightly

00:10 coloured eggs and chocolate bunnies become the new norm?

00:13 The Archbishop of Canterbury visited Valley and Victor Primary and Archbishop Courtenay

00:17 Primary School as part of his week of visits across the county, talking to the children

00:23 and answering their questions about what it is he does.

00:26 Some of those questions included which of his formal robes were his favourite and if

00:31 he preferred officiating Harry and Meghan's wedding or doing the King's coronation.

00:35 Royal wedding or King Charles coronation?

00:40 Oh, that's like asking whether I prefer pancakes or chocolate.

00:51 In Christianity, the day of Easter Sunday was to observe the resurrection of Christ

00:55 but the holiday is widely celebrated as a time for family and community, even by those

01:00 outside of the faith. I spoke to some of the pupils of Archbishop Courtenay Primary School

01:05 about what Easter means to them.

01:08 Celebrating with your family and celebrating that Jesus died for our sin and the chocolate

01:14 eggs that we get represent new life.

01:17 To me, Easter means about how Jesus died on the cross to forgive all our sins.

01:23 The teachers of both schools were very happy to have the Archbishop meet with the children.

01:27 I spoke to the Headmaster of Archbishop Courtenay about why it was so important to them and

01:32 the school.

01:33 We spend a lot of time discussing our vision and our values for the school and we've

01:40 got that culture of how Jesus will always look after us and support us. So I think to

01:48 have the Head of the Anglican faith come and speak to the children is absolutely delightful.

01:55 Despite its roots, 56% of Britons who celebrate the holiday do in a secular way, separate

02:01 from religion, according to YouGov.co.uk. So while Easter is a time for chocolates,

02:07 egg hunts and springtime, it is important to those of the Christian faith that the true

02:10 meaning is not lost.

02:12 We are here to say what Christians believe and show that Christianity is not a set of

02:18 moral rules, it's a relationship with God which is offered to every human being. And

02:23 those are the key reasons I come in and do work in schools and, if I'm honest, it's great

02:29 fun.

02:30 Finn McDermott, for KMTV.