Why should non-Catholics care about the Popes visit to Britain?

The arrival of the Pope Benedict to our shores has stoked a huge emotional response, not least among a particular group of Northern Irish evangelical Christians who will be protesting against the Papal tour from the streets in Scotland.

So what has prompted this hostile reaction to the head of the Catholic church? Child abuse scandals and allegations of a collusion by the RC hierachy in my home state of Northern Ireland with government and police to cover up the suspected involvement of a priest in one of the worst bombing atrocities of our ‘Troubles’ are undoubtedly part of the issue, alongside some deeply held theological convictions. But it’s not just in Ireland - these are troubled times for the worldwide Catholic church.

The irony with this protest, however, is that the same civil and religious liberty that preserves this group’s right to protest also extends to the Pope being able to peacefully visit our shores. Coincidentally, the Pontiff is set to give an address in Westminster Hall on Britain’s eroding track record of granting religious and civil liberties to its peoples.

On that note, welcoming the Pope to the UK is crucial at a time when voices of strident secularism try to tell us there should be no place for religion in public life and even when legislation that may threaten religious belief and behaviour seems to be de-rigueur. Whether this means nurses are disciplined for offering to pray for patients, employees threatened with dismissal for wearing a crucifix, the burkha banned on our streets or registrars lose their jobs when they refuse to oversee civil partnerships for same-sex couples, the rights of individuals who hold to certain religious beliefs are unquestionably under threat.

This attack should not just concern people of faith; it threatens the whole of society. For a start, most people will acknowledge the role that faith communities play ‘on the ground’, feeding the hungry, befriending the lonely, reaching out to those on the margins of society. Were churches to be forced out of public life who then would pick up the slack? David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ is not a new idea – people of faith have been practising being a Good Samaritan for centuries!

Secondly; what kind of society assumes that religious belief has no place in the public arena? Who then become judge and jury? By what standards do we decide what is right and wrong? So how then do we respond to the next group that happens to oppose us?

Historically the church in all its forms has not always led by example. Intolerance, sectarianism, bigotry and persecution of those who disagree with us have all raised their heads in our past, and we must be quick to apologise. We have often been quick to call for freedom of religion but too often we only meant it to be for us, not for other religious groups.

Much of the extensive media coverage of the Pope’s visit has given voice to opinions that have been vicious, cynical and divisive. These responses do not bear the hallmark of a mature society which is able to debate our differences respectfully and make us accountable for our actions and behaviours. So where does this leave us? Sadly a long way from a reasonable starting point.

My dad had a regular comment on all my school reports that was: ‘there’s room for improvement.’ This statement it seems is just as relevant today.


Stephen Cave is Director of Advocacy for the Evangelical Alliance.