How positive will this New Year be?

In a statement this week he said: "To what extent will our hopes for 2010 be shaped entirely by external factors - that is to say, by economic, political or financial trends? My hope for the New Year is that internal factors such as personal faith, steady perseverance and a positive disposition will play a significant role in how each of us will face the year ahead.

"Thankfully, some of the external indicators appear to suggest an improvement in the financial and economic sectors for the year ahead, by comparison with the serious downturns and setbacks of 2009. We all trust and pray that wise decisions will be taken by leaders, by politicians and by managers and that life will be less troubled for many than was the year that has just ended. But we can't be certain about what lies ahead for jobs, incomes, stock markets, banking, house prices, political developments or even climate fluctuations over the next twelve months. These things are outside the control of most of us.

"But what we do have significant control over is the attitude and disposition with which we choose to face the New Year. It will make a considerable difference if and when we decide to embark on the adventure of 2010 with faith in God, with a resolve to live and speak positively, and with a determination to persevere even when things become more challenging than we would have liked them to be," he said.

"I wish you a year in which your faith, your positive approach and your steady perseverance will not only enable you to contend more optimistically with life's challenges, but will also strengthen and influence for good those around you."