A Muslim cabinet minister has defended the place of Christianity in Britain saying it is a vital part of British life and she warns of the dangers of eroding its importance.
“You cannot extract Christian foundations from the evolution of our nations any more than you can erase the spires from our landscape,” she said.
“I see a great danger to this confident affirmation of religion today. It is what the Holy Father called the ‘increasing marginalisation of religion’ during his speech in Westminster Hall. I see it in the United Kingdom and I see it in Europe. Spirituality, suppressed. Divinity, downgraded.”
Baroness Sayeeda Hussain Warsi is a minster without portfolio in the UK government and co-chair of the Conservative party. She grew up in a Northern mill town where Christian values were important during her youth. The minister has decided to send her own daughter to a Christian school.
The minister gave the speech to the staff and students of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in the course of a two-day delegation of seven British ministers to the Holy See. It is the first time a serving minister of a foreign government has addressed to the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, which trains Papal diplomats. On Wednesday she was received by Pope Benedict for a private audience.
The visit marked the 30th anniversary of the re-establishment of full diplomatic ties between Britain and the Vatican, follows the Pope’s successful visit to Britain in 2010 when he is said to have been impressed by the Government’s outspoken defence of the importance of religion in public life.
Source
- The Telegraph
- Image: Tribune.com
