The cardinal stated this in a foreword to a new book "The Nation that Forgot God", a collection of essays by different authors.

Cardinal Pell criticised Mr Cameron's push to legalise same-sex marriage in 2014.

"Cameron has been formed by, or at least adopted, that poisonous form of radical moral liberalism which has sapped the religious vitality of many Christian communities as it endorsed the weaknesses and mistakes damaging, and even destroying, the family," the cardinal wrote.

"His confusion is typical of many Christians.

"It does not speak well of those Christian leaders who never lifted a finger to resist these siren voices."

The cardinal, who is prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy, wrote he does not think that the Mr Cameron is intentionally setting out to undermine Christianity.

Cardinal Pell wrote: "In the words of Pope Francis, commenting on the move to introduce same-sex marriage in his own native country, ‘Let's not be naive: this isn't a simple political fight, it's an attempt to destroy God's plan'.

"I don't mean to say that the Prime Minister is consciously setting out to do this.

"On the contrary, taking into account his many positive references to Christianity and, indeed to Our Lord himself, he seems to believe he is actually co-operating with God's plan by introducing this law."

The cardinal explained that his remarks represent "a break from my usual practice outside Australia to refrain from commenting directly on the local situation".

He noted he has made an exception because the book is "destined largely for a home market" and "the victories and defeats in the ‘conflict of the soul' of British society still have important consequences everywhere in the English-speaking world".

"Losses in Britain make it harder in Australia and even in the United States, not to mention the many other Anglophone countries," he wrote.

Sources

• Catholic Herald
• Image: Catholic Sun

The private member's bill, sponsored by Labour's Rob Marris, was defeated 330-118, with 220 MPs absent at the vote on September 11.

Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark said he hoped the result meant that this would be an end to the debate on assisted dying.

"I welcome Parliament's recognition of the grave risks that this bill posed to the lives of our society's most vulnerable people," he said.

"There is much excellent practice in palliative care which we need to celebrate and promote, and I hope now the debate on assisted suicide is behind us, that this will become a focus for political action.

"I am encouraged by the participation of so many Catholics throughout England and Wales in this important discussion and hope that everyone involved will continue to support calls for better quality care as life nears its end," he added.

British Prime Minister David Cameron was firmly against the bill becoming law.

Ahead of the vote, Catholic and Anglican leaders urged the faithful to contact their MPs to oppose the bill.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster said he believes this grassroots opposition played a role in the measure's defeat.

"I thank all Catholics in our parishes who took the time to write to or visit their Member of Parliament to express their concern about the bill," he said.

"It was an important moment of witness to our Christian faith and the value it places on each and every human life."

Sources

• The Tablet
• Catholic News Agency
• Image: The Guardian

Blair made this observation in November 2002, four months before the invasion of Iraq, when he invited six experts to Downing Street to brief him on the likely consequences of the war.

The experts warned that Iraq was a complicated place, riven by deep communal enmities, which Saddam had dominated for over thirty-five years.

Destroying the regime would leave a vacuum; the country could be shaken by Sunni rebellion and might well descend into civil war.

These dangers left the Prime Minister unmoved.

What mattered was Saddam's moral iniquity.

The divided society over which he ruled was irrelevant. Get rid of the tyrant and his regime, and the forces of good would prevail.

If Saddam was uniquely evil twelve years ago, we have it on the authority of our leaders that ISIS is uniquely evil today.

Until it swept into Iraq a few months ago, the jihadist group was just one of several that had benefited from the campaign being waged by Western governments and their authoritarian allies in the Gulf in support of the Syrian opposition's struggle to overthrow Bashar al-Assad.

Since then ISIS has been denounced continuously and with increasing intensity; but there has been no change in the ruthless ferocity of the group, which has always practised what a radical Islamist theorist writing under the nameAbu Bakr Naji described in an internet handbook in 2006 as "the management of savagery." Continue reading

• John Gray in ABC Religion & Ethics

John Gray is formerly Emeritus Professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics and the author of many books.

Ann Maguire, who taught Spanish and Religious Education at Corpus Christi College, was repeatedly stabbed in front of a class of 30 pupils.

A 15-year-old male has been charged with murder after being questioned by police.

The boy cannot be named for legal reasons.

This is believed to be the first time that a teacher has been killed by a pupil inside a British school.

Mrs Maguire was 61-years-old and married with two adult daughters.

She taught at the school for 40 years and was going to retire in a few months.

The Daily Mail reported that in her last moments, Mrs Maguire's thoughts were for her students.

She begged them to flee rather than see what was happening.

Fellow teacher at Corpus Christi Margaret Freeman said Mrs Magurie was "a brilliant teacher, but even more than that she was a really good person, one of life's good guys", who went the extra mile for her students.

Hundreds attended Mass the day after the killing at the church of Corpus Christi where Mrs Maguire was an active parishioner.

Many floral tributes have been laid outside the school by current and former pupils.

The Pope, Prime Minister David Cameron and opposition leader Ed Miliband have each paid tribute to Mrs Maguire.

In the House of Commons, Mr Cameron said Mrs Maguire's death was a "tragedy".

"She cared so much about her pupils that she had come in on her day off to help prepare them for exams," he said.

In the letter to the Diocese of Leeds, the Vatican's ambassador Archbishop Antonio Mennini asked for the message of "sincere sympathy" to be conveyed on behalf of himself and Pope Francis.

Bishop Malcom McMahon, who chairs the Catholic Education Service in England, called the killing a "senseless tragedy".

Sources

• BBC
• The Daily Mail
• The Telegraph
• The Tablet
• Image: The Telegraph

In an interview with The Telegraph, Lord Williams said Britain is no longer a nation of believers.

While the country is not populated exclusively by atheists, the former archbishop warns that the era of regular and widespread worship is over.

His stark assessment comes after David Cameron ignited a national debate over the place of religion in British public life.

The Prime Minister urged Christians to be "more evangelical" about their faith and claimed that Britain should be a more confidently Christian country.

His remarks, in the run-up to Easter, provoked a furious response from atheist and secular groups.

A succession of senior politicians gave their views, culminating in Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, calling for the disestablishment of the Church of England.

In the interview, Lord Williams accepted that Britain's "cultural memory" was "quite strongly Christian".

"But [Britain is] post-Christian in the sense that habitual practice for most of the population is not taken for granted," he said.

"A Christian nation can sound like a nation of committed believers, and we are not that."

The former archbishop continued: "It's a matter of defining terms. A Christian country as a nation of believers? No."

"A Christian country in the sense of still being very much saturated by this vision of the world and shaped by it? Yes."

Lord Williams suggested that there may be "a further shrinkage of awareness and commitment" as a result of a lack of knowledge about Britain's Christian legacy among younger generations, under the age of 45.

More than half the people surveyed in a poll for the Telegraph regarded Britain as a Christian country.

But the poll also revealed that almost two-thirds of practising Christians appear to be frightened of speaking out about their beliefs.

Lady Warsi, the senior Conservative peer and the minister for faith, said "Christianity is part of the landscape of this country and always will be".

She suggested that large numbers of immigrants from Christian backgrounds were leading to a religious revival in Britain.

Sources

• The Telegraph
• Rowan Williams interview
• Image: Theology Forum

Mr Cameron said the British government should stand up against such persecution of Christians and other faith groups.

Continue reading

Mr Cameron argued that people who are terminally ill will feel unfairly pressurised into ending their lives.

Mr Cameron has opposed assisted dying before, but he was speaking out because a private members' bill drawn up by Lord (Charles) Falconer of Thoroton is due to be debated in the House of Lords in coming weeks.

The bill would allow terminally ill patients to end their lives if two doctors confirm they are unlikely to live more than six months.

It is modelled on the assisted suicide law in Oregon in the United States.

Mr Cameron said that any vote in the House of Commons would be a free vote.

He voiced concerns over patients coming under pressure, but said the House of Lords is doing useful work by debating this and bringing out some of the arguments.

Lord Falconer told The Tablet: "My bill contains safeguards to prevent people being pressured. It is better than current law where any investigation on pressure only takes place after death."

But opponents to the move - including Lord Carlile of Berriew and Baroness Butler-Sloss - say the safeguards are inadequate.

Assisted suicide, opposed by the Church, is legal in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Several previous attempts to legislate on the issue in the UK have failed.

Assisted suicide remains a criminal offence in England and Wales, technically punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Guidelines issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions in 2010 indicated that anyone acting with compassion on the will of a dying person was unlikely to face criminal charges.

Since then, around 90 such cases have been examined and no one prosecuted.

But supporters of assisted suicide say a formal legislative change is long overdue to clarify the law and reduce unnecessary suffering.

Observers estimate that just over a third of MPs would back a change in the law, a smaller group is strongly opposed, and up to 40 per cent are undecided.

Sources

• The Tablet
• Daily Mail
• The Telegraph
• Image: The Mirror

Cameron has set out a number of proposals, including one that would see every Internet user forced to opt in if they want to access online porn.

"We feel these are important steps in assisting parents to keep their children safe online, which should be complemented with education on online safety," Caritas said.

Continue reading

"The proposed change will have catastrophic consequences for marriage as an institution, for family life in Britain, and for all human relationships, not least among our young,"
said Bishop Philip A. Egan of Portsmouth.

He said he was very disappointed at the "Orwellian manner" in which Parliament wished to redefine marriage.

Bishop Egan said the bill might lead the Catholic Church to remove itself from civil marriage.

"One possible consequence of this is that the Church will be forced to withdraw from the civil registration of marriages, as in some European countries, where couples fulfill the civil requirements in the Town Hall before heading to church for Matrimony,"
 he said.

Though the bill was backed by Prime Minister David Cameron, it split his ruling Conservative Party: 127 Conservative MPs voted in favour, 136 opposed it, and 35 abstained.

The bill is expected to face stronger opposition when it is considered by the House of Lords.

The Church of England opposed the bill. The new Archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop Justin Welby, said he stood with his brother bishops in strongly opposing the redefinition of marriage.

Meanwhile, the head of the Pontifical Council for the Family expressed support for giving unmarried couples some kind of legal protection.

While reaffirming the Catholic Church's opposition to same-sex marriage, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia said the Church should do more to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination in countries where homosexuality is illegal.

Archbishop Paglia said that there are several kinds of "cohabitation forms that do not constitute a family", and that their number is growing.

He suggested that nations could find "private law solutions" to help individuals who live in non-matrimonial relations, "to prevent injustice and make their life easier".

Nevertheless, he was adamant in reaffirming society's duty to preserve the unique value of marriage as being between a man and a woman. Other kinds of "affections" could not be the foundation for a "public structure" such as marriage, he said.

Sources:

Catholic News Agency

Catholic News Service

National Catholic Reporter

Image: National Catholic Reporter

And on the eighth day God created Prime Minister's Question Time.

And pretty swiftly He regretted it, for He saw that it was not good, especially when they did all that silly shouting and artificial laughter and asked toadying questions blatantly planted by government whips.

And on the 21st day of November in the year of His Son 2012 He saw that Members of Parliament were asking about women bishops in the Church of England.

And the Prime Minister told the House of Commons his views on the subject.

And the Prime Minister's views turned out to be a little bit confusing, to Members of Parliament, to inhabitants of the press gallery, and no doubt to the fowl of the air and to every beast of the field also.

And this was because the Prime Minister seemed to be saying that on the one hand we had to respect whatever the Church decided, but on the other hand we had to make sure the Church jolly well did what we told it.

And the Prime Minister's words were, "We have to respect individual institutions and the decisions they make… while giving them a sharp prod."

And on hearing the phrase "giving them a sharp prod" the House was troubled by the image of the Prime Minister lurking in a vestry, brandishing a poker.

And the Prime Minister had more to say.

And what the Prime Minister said was, "The time is right for women bishops, and it was right many years ago."

And the Prime Minister said of the Church, "They need to get on with it - and get with the programme."

And in silence the House reflected that even in biblical times "get with the programme" had probably been an outdated piece of youth slang, Daddio.

And the House made a mental note to check whether, for example, Christ had ever ordered the money changers in the temple to "get with the programme", or whether the Sermon on the Mount exhorted disciples to "chill, dudes", or whether "Thou shalt tune in, turn on and drop out" was among the Ten Commandments.

And the House suspected that in all three cases the answer was probably no, on the whole.

And the Labour member for the constituency of Exeter, Ben Bradshaw, suggested imposing equality legislation on the Church, and asked the Prime Minister what "locus" they would have.

And the more theologically minded misheard and worried that God would send a plague of locus.

And after Prime Minister's Question Time had drawn to a close it was noticed that outside it had started to rain apocalyptically hard.

And Westminster began to wonder if this was a Judgment, and if so, on whom.

Source: The Telegraph

Neil Addison, the director of the Thomas More Legal Centre, said that the Prime Minister's assurances to the Church that they would not be compelled to perform religious marriage for gay couples are worthless.

He said two judgments by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg combined with a Court of Appeal ruling in 2010 clearly showed that the Government would be acting illegally if it legalised civil gay marriages without permitting them on religious premises too.

It means that if the Coalition Government presses ahead with its plans to redefine marriage to include gay couples the Catholic Church could face prosecution under equality legislation for acting according with its teachings.

"The Government will be obliged to permit same-sex marriage on religious premises on exactly the same basis as it permits heterosexual marriage," said Mr Addison, a specialist in religious discrimination law. Continue reading

In the midst of Britain's debate on redefining marriage to include people of the same sex, Peter Bone, the MP for Wellingbrough and Rushden is one urging Cameron to choose someone who represents the Church's traditional views on issues such as gay marriage.

"I don't want the Archbishop to say we can't have gay marriage because it is not socially acceptable. I want him to say we can't have it because it is wrong", said Bone.

"One Tory MP said there would be widespread upset on the government backbenches if a candidate from the church's liberal wing replaced Williams, 61, when he leaves in December. He said: 'It is traditional that we have a conservative after a liberal and if David Cameron doesn't deliver then it will confirm the fears of everyone who already has doubts about him,' " reports The Guardian.

The responsibility for selecting the next Archbishop of Canterbury lies with the Church of England's Crown Nominations Commission.

The Commission will submit the name of a preferred candidate and a second appointable candidate to Prime Minister Cameron who has the final say.

Cameron tenders his advice to Her Majesty the Queen.

The committee comprises:

• the Chair (a layperson) - to be appointed by the Prime Minister
• a Bishop - to be elected by the House of Bishops
• the Archbishop of York or, if he chooses not to be a member of the CNC, a further Bishop to be elected by the House of Bishops
• six representatives elected from the Diocese of Canterbury by their Vacancy in See Committee
• the six representatives (three clergy and three lay) elected by General Synod to serve as members of the Commission for a five year period
• a member of the Primates Meeting of the Anglican Communion elected by the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion.

Some observers have commented that David Cameron is shown to have "hidden shallows" since becoming Prime Minister. They put it down to his trying to appear "groovy" to his Liberal Democrat coalition partners, and warn him he might be on a collision course with the Queen who is not only fond of the Church of England, but is its supreme governor.

Sources

• The Archbishop of Canterbury
• The Guardian
• Daily Mail
• Image: Forbes

In a hard-hitting column in the Sunday Telegraph, O'Brien went on to ask: 'If marriage can be redefined so that it no longer means a man and a woman but two men or two women, why stop there? Why not allow three men or a woman and two men to constitute a marriage?'

In what seems to be a collision course with British Prime Minister David Cameron, O'Brien's criticims are the strongest yet from any church figure of the plans to soon to be unveiled by Equalities Minister, Lynne Featherstone.

Adding his voice to those of leading figures in the Coalition for Marriage, a group of bishops, politicians and lawyers, including Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, to opposed to the changes, O'Brien labelled the changes as being "at the behest of a small minority of activists".

The British government led by Cameron, plans to make legislation changing the legal definition of marriage to include same-sex couples one of the central achievements of his time in office.

Mr Cameron told last year's Tory conference in Manchester: "I don't support gay marriage in spite of being a Conservative. I support gay marriage because I am a Conservative." Last week his spokesman said he was "passionate" about the issue.

Margot James, the first openly lesbian Conservative MP, criticised the 'apocalyptic language' used by O'Brien.

'I think that the government is not trying to force Catholic churches to perform gay marriages at all. It is a purely civil matter,' she told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

In an article for The Sunday Telegraph, Cardinal O'Brien wrote: 'Same-sex marriage would eliminate entirely in law the basic idea of a mother and a father for every child.'

Sources

• The Telegraph
• Metro
• Sunday Telegraph

He is now facing the prospect of an open breach with prominent religious figures - just a week after leading Conservatives voiced their support for Christianity following a series of court rulings which reinforced the secularisation of Britain.

In a speech to mark the 400th birthday of the King James Bible, Cameron declared Britain 'a Christian country' and said politicians and church leaders should not be afraid to say so.

The "passive intolerance" of immoral behaviour and the failure to stand up and defend the values in the Bible helped spark the riots and fueled terrorism, Cameron said.

"Whether you look at the riots last summer, the financial crash and the expenses scandal or the on-going terrorist threat from Islamist extremists around the world, one thing is clear - moral neutrality or passive tolerance just isn't going to cut it any more."

Addressing Church of England members at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, he added: "Put simply, for too long we have been unwilling to distinguish right from wrong.

‘Live and let live' has too often become ‘do what you please'."

Cameron admitted his own faith was racked by doubts. "I'm no religious authority whatsoever," he said.

"I am a committed Church of England Christian who'll stand up for the values and principles of my faith but who is full of doubts and, like many, constantly grappling with difficult questions."

Cameron listed the Christian values that British society treasures as "responsibility, hard work, charity, compassion, humility, self-sacrifice, love, pride in working for the common good and honouring the social obligations we have to one another, to our families and our communities".

"Yes, they are Christian values but they are also values to people of every faith and none."

The Mail reports the speech was a bold Christmas gamble. It was something Tony Blair wanted to do but was talked out of by his spin doctor, Alastar Campbell, who famously told him "We don't' do God."

Editor of The Tablet, Catherine Pepinster disagrees with Cameron, saying Britain is a long way from being truly Christian.

Christianity is "demanding, turns the world's values upside down."

"What Christianity is really about is putting the least first," Pepinster said.

"In a world riven with inequality, the belief that we are all equal before God requires that we speak up against to inequalities."

President of the National Secular Society, Terry Sanderson said, ""Mr Cameron's promotion of faith for other people when his own is so wishy-washy is typical of a politician who thinks religion is a useful means of social control."

Sources

• BBC
• The Mail
• The Express
• Image: Politics Home

Nichols said at a news conference that Cameron wants to "annex the institution of marriage" for homosexuals.

Nichols said he respects Cameron's desire to encourage equality and committed gay relationships.

"I respect the Prime Minister's insistence and emphasis on the importance of equality in relationships and the vital importance of commitment. Those are things that we recognise as very important to the health of society.

"But commitment plus equality does not equal marriage and the distinctive nature of marriage is something that is very important to the well-being of society because it is the foundation of family life as we know it and as it experienced by the vast majority of people."

Civil partnerships have been legal in Britain since 2005. Under Cameron's plan, gay couples would be allowed to hold partnership ceremonies in religious facilities starting next year and a commission would study changing the law to allow marriage.

The prime minister, who is head of the Conservative Party, argues Conservatives should support homosexuals seeking more stable relationships.

Sources

• Pink Paper
• The Telegraph
• Image: No More Lost

British Prime Minister David Cameron has proposed a change in royal succession law to remove the bias against female heirs and the disqualification on a heir who marries a Catholic.

Locke said the Government should tell Cameron that any reform bill going through the New Zealand Parliament will also end the prohibition against a Catholic ascending to the throne.

To do otherwise "makes a mockery" of New Zealand's Human Rights Act, which prevents discrimination on religious grounds, he said.

"We should ask Mr Cameron to be a little bolder and remove all discrimination against Catholics.

"If that means the Monarch can no longer automatically be head of the British Anglican Church, so be it."

Brian Rudman has pointed out that and law change will have to be agreed to by 16 different commonwealth parliaments and the only people who stand to gain or lose by any proposed law are the "handful of blue bloods who can claim legitimate descent from the 17th-century Electress Sophia of Hanover, who was a granddaughter of James IV of Scotland (and James I of England) and the niece of Charles I. "

Source

• TVNZ
• New Zealand Herald
• Image: The Telegraph

The issue, to be discussed at a Commonwealth leaders summit later this month, has come to a head after Cameron sent letters to his Commonwealth counterparts seeking support for the changes.

The Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, has expressed support for "these reasonable modernizations".

Any changes to eliminate the discriminatory provisions would require agreement from all Commonwealth nations.

Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1952 after the death of her father, King George VI, because she had no brother.

In his letter to Harper and the other Commonwealth leaders, Cameron stated: "We espouse gender equality in all other aspects of life, and it is an anomaly that in the rules relating to the highest public office we continue to enshrine male superiority."

His comments followed the launch of a campaign by a group of British MPs to "modernize" the Act of Settlement to give both women and Catholics equal status to men and non-Catholics in the line of succession.

British Labor MP Keith Vaz, backed by a number of other MPs, had introduced a resolution in the U.K. Parliament to amend the 1701 act by scrapping provisions that prevent Catholics from becoming king or queen, bar anyone who marries a Catholic from the line of succession and give men priority in the line of succession.

The 2008 wedding of the Queen's eldest grandson, Peter Phillips, and his Canadian bride, Autumn Kelly — a Catholic-born Montrealer — also ignited debate around the rules of succession. Before their marriage, the Canadian woman gave up her Catholic faith and converted to the Church of England to preserve her future husband's position as 11th in the line of succession.

Vaz had urged the renewal of a 2008 all-party agreement to amend the law, and in January called on Cameron "to legislate an end to these outdated, sexist and anti-Catholic aspects of the constitution."

Source: The Gazette

Writing in the New Statesman, Dr Rowan Williams questioned the morality of David Cameron's Conservative party's policies on welfare reform.

Dr Williams attacked changes in the National Health Service and education which he said had left people "baffled and indignant".

He labelled Cameron's "Big Society" as "painfully stale" and something that is viewed with "widespread suspicion".

"With remarkable speed, we are being committed to radical, long-term policies for which no one voted. At the very least, there is an understandable anxiety about what democracy means in such a context," Williams wrote.

"The anxiety and anger have to do with the feeling that not enough has been exposed to proper public argument."

On welfare reform, he said there had been "a quiet resurgence of the seductive language of 'deserving' and 'undeserving' poor" combined with a "steady pressure to increase what look like punitive responses to alleged abuses of the system."

"The Government badly needs to hear just how much plain fear there is around."

An angry PM hit back swiftly at Williams claiming that Jesus would back his "Big Society" plans.

Speaking from Ireland, Cameron said he agreed that the Archbishop was free to express his political views and that the Church is entitled to make political interventions.

However the PM also said he profoundly disagrees with many of the views that the Archbishop expressed, ­particularly on issues like debt and welfare and education.

"I don't think it is good or right for people and our country if we just give up on paying down our debt and just pass that down to our children."

"I don't see anything good or even moral in that approach. I don't think it is good or right for us to pay people to stay on welfare, trapped in poverty, when we should be trying to get them a job."

Catholic support of "Big Society" being tested

Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, the nation's leading Catholic bishop, has praised Cameron for putting marriage and family stability at the centre of policy-making.

Having previously spoken of the "genuine moral agenda" driving the Government's the "Big Society," as an opportunity to build a stronger society, he fears communities hit by the economic downturn will suffer if they don't get support.

Nichols accused the Government of washing its hands of responsibilities to communities and expecting volunteers to fill the gap.

"It is all very well to deliver speeches about the need for greater voluntary activity, but there needs to be some practical solutions," he said.

"At the moment the Big Society is lacking a cutting edge. It has no teeth."

"Devolving greater power to local authorities should not be used as a cloak for masking central cuts," Archbishop Nichols warned.

"It is not sufficient for the Government, in its localism programme, simply to step back from social need and say this is a local issue."

"We're now at a very critical point, with the philosophy of the Big Society getting clearer, but on the other hand the effects of the cuts are becoming real and there's real pressure about what will happen on the ground," said Archbishop Nichols.

Sources

• The Telegraph
• Press Association
• Catholic Herald
• Sky News
• The Guardian
• Image: Mirror