Place of faith in British life DAVID CAMERON
An historic welcome C
Atheists, clerics and cardinals have claimed in the run-up to the papal visit that Britain is a secular country. Not so, says the Prime Minister, who sees a clear role for the Church in society and for the Holy See on the global stage
ardinal Newman was one of the greatest Englishmen, not just of his own times, but of any times. Like other courageous men and women
of faith, he believed passionately that we should follow our consciences. Many, too many, have died for that same cause. In Britain, their num- bers have included both Protestant and Catholic martyrs, such as Thomas More, whose trial took place in Westminster Hall, where the Pope will address representatives of civil society from across our country. At the end of his historic visit to Britain this week, Pope Benedict XVI will beatify the cardinal during Mass in a Birmingham park where the cardinal used to take his recreation
during his years as a simple parish priest in that great industrial city. It will be a moving climax to the first offi- cial visit ever made to Britain by a pope. I use the word “historic” for this visit.
That can often be an overworked cliché. But on this occasion it is wholly accurate. That is why television channels around the world will be covering every moment of the four days he spends with us. As Britain’s Prime Minister, I welcome the
fact that my predecessors first invited the Pope to visit this country and I am delighted that he accepted that invitation and the one he received from Her Majesty the Queen. He comes here as a head of state and leader of a
David Cameron: ‘Faith is a gift to be cherished’. Photo: CNS
Church with more than six million members in Britain and almost 1.2 billion around the world. Like other faith groups, the Catholic Church proclaims a message of peace and justice to the world and we work closely with it in the furtherance of these causes. Despite the tough times through which we
are battling, we have ring-fenced spending on overseas development. The alleviation of poverty is one of the greatest challenges facing the world. The grotesque condition in which too many live today, with disease and misery their constant companions, is a moral affront to all of us who live in comfort in rich countries. The Catholic Church and its agencies are in the front lines of the fight against poverty throughout the world. We work with them – organisations like Cafod, Sciaf, Trocaire and Caritas – in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, Catholic agencies at local churches provide about a quarter of all primary education and health care, and an equally large part of the services for all those suffering from Aids. The Holy See is a partner in pursuit of the
6 | THE TABLET | 18 September 2010
United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals, which will be discussed at the UN Headquarters in New York again next week, at which the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, will represent this country. For our part, we are totally committed to meeting the UN target of spending 0.7 per cent of our national income on aid by 2013. And we want to ensure that the money we spend goes to those who need it most. Sustainable economic develop- ment is closely linked to political stability and security. A world in which there is a yawning gap between the rich and the poor will be more dangerous and less secure for all of us. We are also close partners of the global Catholic Church in the campaign against cli- mate change. Once again, it is the poor who will suffer most if we do not act to moderate global warming. What is required is not just international agreement to abate carbon dioxide emissions, difficult as that is. We need to develop a new approach to economic growth, defining and pursuing it in ways that
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