The Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols says people must find sustainable relationships with God, each other and the natural world if there is to be peace in the world.

In a pastoral letter for the Feast of the Holy Family on Sunday, he said the crib was a reminder that people were dependent on each other, the created world and God.

“Today we have to find a balanced and sustainable relationship between ourselves and the natural world, and between all people who share this planet,” he said.

“Unless we do so the chances of peace in our world are slim and the careless exploitation of our environment will continue.

“These right relationships have to begin in our homes ... respect between the generations, patience with each other, sensitivity to each others’ wishes and needs.”

The Archbishop said people must have felt the pressures of advertising and the expectation to spend more than they could afford this Christmas, but said the most important aspect of family celebrations during the season was the “sincerity rather than extravagance, sensitivity rather than excess”.

“When this is understood, then we can probably live far more simply without any loss of enjoyment,” he said.