The Archbishop of Canterbury says in his Easter Sunday address that the global financial crisis has shown that happiness cannot be measured by material possessions alone.
The message in tune with the times from Rowan Williams, the head of the Church of England, is echoed by the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England, who urges people to avoid negative feelings about the downturn. Williams will tell the congregation at Canterbury Cathedral: "The present financial crisis has dealt a heavy blow to the idea that human fulfilment can be thought about just in terms of material growth and possession."
In a discussion of the publics fascination with the monastic life, he adds: "Accepting voluntary limitation to your acquisitiveness, your sexual appetite, your freedom of choice doesnt look so absurd after all as a path to some sort of stability and mutual care.
"We should be challenging ourselves and our Church to a new willingness to help this witness to flourish and develop."
The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-OConnor, who is retiring next month, will say in his address: "Sometimes we carry resentments, grudges, prejudices, hurts and angers - like security blankets in our lives.
"This may be particularly pertinent at the present time, when many people are feeling stress and anxiety due to the difficulties resulting from the economic situation locally and globally. "But negative feelings and negative attitudes are bundles of death that stand in the way of life."