Labour leader Ed Miliband wants to meet Pope Francis, he revealed at a Charismatic Evangelical service in south London on Sunday.
Mr Miliband, an atheist, told reporters ahead of the event at the multicultural Praise House church in Croydon that he had much in common with Christians despite not sharing their faith.
“What I recognise is that so many of objectives that I have for this country, how we get a country that's not just run for the rich and the most powerful, that's something that motivates lots of people of faith from all backgrounds and all walks of life,” he said.
He mentioned in particular the “shocking” growth in food poverty and use of food banks, in-work poverty and personal debt, and the effects of the coalition Government’s reforms to the benefits system.
“How people come to these issues is different but the view people take about these issues is actually very similar. So I think there's a really common agenda that I would have with people from the faith communities on these issues," he said.
Mr Miliband promised to stand up for persecuted Christians if he got elected, and renewed his party’s manifesto pledge to create a global envoy for religious freedom.
"It's really, really important that Britain takes a lead on these questions and we speak up about this, we speak up about the persecution of Christians around the world," he said.
Afterwards he told the congregation that he would defend Christians’ right to express their faith freely, for example by wearing a cross to work or discussing their faith in the office.
Asked by a congregant whether or not he would commit to working with faith schools, which were not mentioned in Labour’s manifesto, which was released last week, he said: “Yes, definitely … we want good education for people, that’s the bottom line and I know of so many faith schools that provide it, I absolutely can reassure you on that one.”
Read a full interview with Ed Miliband in the 25 April edition of The Tablet
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