The Chair of the Race and Ethnicity Forum in the Diocese of Chester, Father Lameck Mutete, has voiced concern at the statistical trend indicating a lower vaccine uptake in areas of the country with a larger proportion of ethnic minority people.
In a short video, he urges people to respond to this issue through prayer and by encouraging ethnic minority groups to take up the offer of a vaccine.
Father Lameck says: "Over 90% of adults in Britain have so far received or would be likely to accept the COVID-19 vaccine if offered.
"This data, however, follows a historical trend of lower vaccine uptake in areas with a larger proportion of ethnic minority groups in England.
"As the Chair of the Race and Ethnicity Forum, we stand together with the rest of our church leaders in our diocese, encouraging people from an ethnic background to take the vaccine when offered. Not just because it is important for them, but because it is equally important for the whole community."
Father Lameck also described the "injustice" of the global rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations and said that we can all help make more vaccines available around the world by "twinning" our own vaccine with other people, via UNICEF's Vaccinaid programme which is pledging to deliver 2 billion vaccines around the world by the end of this year.
Father Lameck also encourages people to pressure the Government to do more towards the global vaccination efforts and says we all "have a responsibility to ensure that those less fortunate than ourselves receive the vaccine."
Watch Father Lameck Mutete