Leading Catholic criticised for attack on Labour government

The Most Rev Vincent Nichols rebuked the Labour administration for attempting to "create a state that provided everything".

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, he also praised the new coalition Government for its "fresh attitude".

The National Secular Society (NSS) which campaigns against religious influence in public and political life said his comments were "deeply undesirable".

NSS president Terry Sanderson said: "It is deeply undesirable for priests to interfere in politics in this way and even more dangerous for politicians to be swayed by unrepresentative and self-serving religious leaders like Vincent Nichols.

"Research shows clearly that the Catholic Church's teachings are not supported by the majority of people in this country and it is frightening to think that it may have a significant input into Government policy-making."

Archbishop Nichols wrote: "We have highlighted the need for society to not fall into the trap of thinking that everything is to be provided and not live by the myth that everything is somebody else's responsibility.

"In recent years many factors have contributed to a sense that we can leave social problems to be solved by the Government.

"In some ways this sense was created by the last administration which had, in practice, too strong an overarching view of how our society should be.

"In attempting to create a state that provided everything, it ended up losing touch with the people it was trying to serve." He went on to attack the Labour government for the way it treated the Catholic Church and faith groups in general.

He explained: "I think the last Government required quite a high degree of conformity to its own theories and principles and practices.

"If they clashed with those of a faith community then either

the partnership came to an end or the faith group had to conform."

But Mr Sanderson said the idea that Labour was unsympathetic to religion was "laughable".

He explained: "Under Blair, Labour caved in over faith school quotas, and gave Catholic adoption agencies a grace period to come in line with the law.

"Nichols clearly wants even more subservience. Mass attendance has halved in the last generation and even most Catholics take the hard line doctrine Nichols pushes with a pinch of salt.

"(David) Cameron will regret it if he does not ignore this turbulent and ambitious priest; the Church here, Europe and in the UN is becoming politically ambitious with every year, and in a way that would not go down well with the British electorate."