Bishop warns of moral crisis at farewell service

|PIC1|The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali has stepped down from the post after 15 years to concentrate on supporting persecuted Christians in majority-Muslim countries.

In his sermon, he said the Christian faith was “necessary” for the life of the country and expressed his concern over the confusion regarding the dignity of life.

"We are facing a crisis about affirming the dignity of human purpose,” he said.

"It may be at the earliest stage of life or as we are hearing more and more, at the later stages of life."

Dr Nazir-Ali attributed many of society’s ills to the breakdown of the family.

“It is obvious to many people that the weakening of family life is responsible for what we face on our streets, in our classrooms and in homes,” he said.

"It would be irresponsible for a Christian leader not to point this out."

Dr Nazir-Ali was born in Pakistan and became the Church of England’s first non-white bishop in 1994.

He courted controversy last year when he claimed that some parts of Britain had become no-go areas for non-Muslims.