Archbishops admit 'reservations' over blasphemy law repeal

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have stressed the need for caution in their response to the Government consultation on the blasphemy laws.

In a letter to Communities Secretary Hazel Blears on Friday, Dr Rowan Williams and Dr John Sentamu indicated their openness to the possibility of abolishing the blasphemy laws, but urged the Government to explain precisely what the implications of repeal would be for Christians and other people of faith.

"Having signalled for more than 20 years that the blasphemy laws could, in the right context, be abolished, the Church is not going to oppose abolition now, provided we can be assured that provisions are in place to afford the necessary protection to individuals and to society," the letter stated.

The Archbishops went on to underline the importance of not lightly changing the law, which they said "carried a significant symbolic charge", despite their seeming unimportance.

The Government announced in early January that it would follow through a "short and sharp" consultation with churches and Christian leaders on blasphemy. The Government tabled its response earlier in the week, which is due for debate in Parliament on Wednesday.

The Archbishops, however, urged the Government to be clear about why it is pushing through a change to the law now, particularly in light of a recent High Court decision making it much harder for blasphemy cases to be brought forward.

"It is not clear that there is a pressing need for repeal until there has been more time to assess the impact of the offence of incitement to religious hatred," they said in their letter.

They called on the Government to be clear on the implications that a change to the blasphemy laws will have particularly for the position of the Christian religion in relation to both the State and society.

"At a time of continuing debate about the nature of our society and its values, this change needs to be seen for what it is, namely the removal of what has long been recognised as unsatisfactory and not very workable offences in circumstances in which scurrilous attacks on the Christian religion no longer threaten the fabric of society. It should not be capable of interpretation as a secularising move, or as a general licence to attack or insult religious beliefs and believers," the Archbishops wrote.

"The place of Christianity in the constitutional framework of our country, governed as it is by the Queen, in Parliament, under God, is not in question in the current debate.

"The relationship between Church and State...will continue to provide a context in which people of all faiths and none can live together in mutual respect in this part of the Realm," the Archbishops said.