New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has spoken about the impact of his Catholic upbringing on his political life and views.
Although Burnham has said he is not particularly religious, he has also indicated that his Catholic upbringing significantly informed his values and outlook on life.
Speaking on the How to Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast, Burnham spoke of his early years as an altar boy in Liverpool in the 1980s. Burnham said he “absorbed” the words of Archbishop Derek Worlock.
Worlock served as Archbishop of Liverpool from 1976 until his death in 1996. Like Burnham, Worlock was no stranger to mixing faith and politics – he appeared on the BBC’s first ever episode of Question Time.
Worlock once commented, “I can pray for [my neighbour's] soul, but I cannot turn my back on how he is to live: his wellbeing, his freedom, his prosperity or poverty, his house, his job and so on. All that lies in the field of politics, whether I like it or not. So it is part of my double commitment, to God and neighbour.”
Burnham echoed those views on the recent podcast, saying, “I couldn’t, and still don't actually, differentiate faith and politics. I think they’re all part of the same thing. How do you live your life? How do you treat other people? Do you have a care for people at the heart of everything that you do? And if you do, I think basically you’re going to be on the right lines. So I’ve tried to stick to that.”
He added, “I know some people think it’s controversial to say religion and politics should mix, but they are part of the same thing to me.”
Burnham also embraced the idea that he is Britain’s first Catholic Prime Minister.
When asked if he is in fact the first Catholic PM, Burnham responded, “Yes, I think that is true. Boris [Johnson] may have been baptised, but never was raised in that way. But I was. I’m not going to claim that I’m the most observant. But once you are one, you're always one when it comes to Catholicism. You can't shake it out of you.”
Johnson was baptised a Catholic, although raised an Anglican. Johnson also had a Catholic wedding ceremony during his time as Prime Minister.
