Bishops Against the Cross

How the Catholic hierarchy risks trading the Gospel for politics and silencing the faith they are called to proclaim.

When “Not Co-opting Christianity” Becomes a Silencer: A Catholic Case for Faithful Public Witness

When I sat down with GB News on Sunday to discuss The Times article about the Unite the Kingdom rally, I confess I felt some relief. No Catholic bishop, I thought, had been reckless enough to sign the open letter condemning the use of Christian symbols at that event. The signatories reported in The Times included Lord Williams of Oystermouth, a former Archbishop of Canterbury; the Right Rev Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Winchester; Gavin Calver, chief executive of the Evangelical Alliance; and Bishop Mike Royal, general secretary of Churches Together in England. No Catholics mentioned. Phew.

Sadly, that relief was short-lived. Indeed, the Hallelujah chorus in my head had barely begun when the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales issued their own statement aligning itself with the Presidents of Churches Together in England statement and warning against “co-opting Christianity.” What I had received initially as a mercy was now replaced by a deep disquiet, for this new intervention risks discrediting the very possibility of Christian witness in the public square.