Pope warns that sidelining of religion puts Christmas at risk

Westminster address used to protest at 'marginalisation' of Christianity in public life
John Hooper, Sam Jones and Riazat Butt guardian.co.uk, Friday 17 September 2010
Pope Benedict XVI arrives at Westminster Hall, London, to give his keynote speech.

Pope Benedict tonight used the keynote address of his visit to Britain to protest at "the increasing marginalisation of religion" in public life, maintaining that even the celebration of Christmas was at risk.

In a dense, closely argued speech to an audience that included four former prime ministers, the pope said social consensus alone could not be left to decide policies. And he pointed to the global financial crisis as an example of what happened when pragmatic solutions were applied in the absence of ethical considerations.

Before speaking, the pope sat in an enormous red leather chair to listen to a speech of welcome from the Commons Speaker, John Bercow. Then he rose and walked to the lectern to deliver his own thoughts. His address was met with a sustained burst of applause.

Below him, seated in neat rows that stretched to the back of the vast, 900-year-old hall, were hundreds of parliamentarians and religious leaders.

Among them were Gordon Brown, Tony Blair, Sir John Major, Lady Thatcher, William Hague and Nick Clegg. David Cameron did not attend as he was at the funeral of his father, who died nine days ago. He will meet the pontiff for talks tomorrow.

The occasion was rich with symbolism. The pope was accepting what he called an "unprecedented invitation" to address Britain's great and good in Westminster Hall where the Catholic saint, Thomas More, was tried and convicted for refusing to put expedience ahead of his religious convictions and bowing to the demands of his king, Henry VIII.

In a key passage, he said: "I cannot but voice my concern at the increasing marginalisation of religion, particularly of Christianity, that is taking place in some quarters, even in nations which place a great emphasis on tolerance." This was a clear reference to Britain, whose tolerance he praised on the first day of his visit.

He went on: "There are those who would advocate that the voice of religion be silenced, or at least relegated to the purely private sphere. There are those who argue that the public celebration of festivals such as Christmas should be discouraged, in the questionable belief that it might somehow offend those of other religions or none. And there are those who argue – paradoxically with the intention of eliminating discrimination – that Christians in public roles should be required at times to act against their conscience."

Read more here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/17/pope-warns-sidelining-religion-christmas-risk