Prime Minister David Cameron has placed his authority behind what appears to be a Downing Street strategy to restore good relations with the Catholic Church following the public row with Cardinal Vincent Nichols over the impact of government welfare reforms.
In February, the cardinal said the level of destitution resulting from government policies was “a disgrace”. Two days later, the Prime Minister wrote in The Daily Telegraph that the cardinal’s criticisms were “simply not true”.
Last week, however, addressing church leaders at an Easter reception at 10 Downing Street, Mr Cameron said he welcomed debate and claimed that his Government’s position and that of the Church were not incompatible. “Of course, many of the things that we do are controversial, not least the changes that we’re making in welfare,” he said. “[And] I welcome the debate that there is with church leaders and faith communities about some of these issues because in the end, actually, I think we all believe in many of the same things.
“The dignity that comes through work, the support people want to give their families, not writing anyone off, always giving people a second chance – these are really important to all of us.”
The conciliatory tone of the Prime Minister’s remarks follows other gestures towards the Church by senior Cabinet members. Last week, the Home Secretary, Theresa May, attended a Vatican conference on people trafficking in Rome and wrote a joint article in The Daily Telegraph on the topic with Cardinal Nichols. Earlier, the Communities and Local Government Secretary, Eric Pickles, told the Conservative Party Spring Forum in London that Britain is a “Christian nation” and militant atheists should “get over it”.
In February, Mr Pickles drew criticism for cancelling his attendance at the consistory in Rome where Archbishop Nichols was created a cardinal.
In his Easter reception address, the Prime Minister emphasised the importance of his personal faith. He said he sustains himself spiritually by attending St Mary Abbots, the London church attached to the school his daughter attends. “I find a little bit of peace and hopefully a bit of guidance,” he said, adding that he was pleased to have “finally made it” to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem earlier this year.
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