Tory leader accused of snubbing Scottish Catholic Cardinal
-18/06/06
UK Conservative P
Tory leader accused of snubbing Scottish Catholic Cardinal
-18/06/06
UK Conservative Party leader David Cameron, who has recently been heralded by the ëbearded leftieí Archbishop of Canterbury as a parenting role-model, has annoyed Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien, whose office accuses the Tory wunderkind of refusing to meet him.
But critics say that the cardinal is being self-important over the matter, and that the days when church leaders could presume that politicians would automatically want to beat a path to their doors have gone.
According to the Herald newspaper, ìsources close to the cardinal made no secret of their anger at what they described as a ëreal discourtesyí to one of the two most senior figures in the Catholic Church in the UK.î
The cardinal’s office apparently contacted Mr Cameron’s in February 2006, and when they discovered the Conservative leader would attend a dinner to be given in his honour by Michael Martin, Speaker of the House of Commons.
They developed a programme around the dinner, including meetings with the Prime Minister and other senior figures. But Mr Cameronís team allegedly said he would be too busy to meet him.
To rub salt in the wound, says the Herald, David Amess, the right-wing Tory MP for Southend West, offered a meeting with Cardinal O’Brien and a group of MPs. But Mr Amess failed to get back to him with names or a venue.
In November 2005 David Cameron publicly criticized a poster from Christian Aid, the respected ecumenical global development agency, saying that comparing deaths caused by poverty to those caused by the Asian tsunami was helping to foster what he called ìBritainís cultural hostility to capitalismî.
But since becoming party leader, Mr Cameron has assiduously cultivated a ìsofterî image.
On his alleged ëcardinal errorí, the Tory supremoís official spokesperson said: “It wasn’t possible to meet the cardinal. I’m sorry if they feel aggrieved; there are lots of demands on David’s diary. We would hope to meet sometime in the future.”
A commentator told Ekklesia: ìThe cardinal is in danger of looking a wee bit pompous on this, and should maybe have a word with his advisers.î
Church leaders in Britain sometimes complain that they are not taken seriously enough in public debate. But media analysts argue that they have a voice out of proportion to their percentage of core adherents.
At the end of this month Jonathan Bartley, director of Christian think-tank and news service Ekklesia, will publish a book arguing that with the demise of Christendom (where the interests of church and state were regarded as common) the churches need to adopt a less establishment and more radical role.
[Also on Ekklesia, related to David Cameron: Tory leadership candidate attacks Christian agency on trade; BNP exploit racist fears and ‘Christian country’ claims; Government plans reopen debate on faith schools; Brown backs Archbishop on the morality of climate change action; Churches in the US pledge solidarity with migrants; MPs go speed dating over climate chaos; Church campaigners say government can be bolder on child poverty; Christian Aid laments receding trade talk hopes]
Tory leader accused of snubbing Scottish Catholic Cardinal
-18/06/06
UK Conservative Party leader David Cameron, who has recently been heralded by the ëbearded leftieí Archbishop of Canterbury as a parenting role-model, has annoyed Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien, whose office accuses the Tory wunderkind of refusing to meet him.
But critics say that the cardinal is being self-important over the matter, and that the days when church leaders could presume that politicians would automatically want to beat a path to their doors have gone.
According to the Herald newspaper, ìsources close to the cardinal made no secret of their anger at what they described as a ëreal discourtesyí to one of the two most senior figures in the Catholic Church in the UK.î
The cardinal’s office apparently contacted Mr Cameron’s in February 2006, and when they discovered the Conservative leader would attend a dinner to be given in his honour by Michael Martin, Speaker of the House of Commons.
They developed a programme around the dinner, including meetings with the Prime Minister and other senior figures. But Mr Cameronís team allegedly said he would be too busy to meet him.
To rub salt in the wound, says the Herald, David Amess, the right-wing Tory MP for Southend West, offered a meeting with Cardinal O’Brien and a group of MPs. But Mr Amess failed to get back to him with names or a venue.
In November 2005 David Cameron publicly criticized a poster from Christian Aid, the respected ecumenical global development agency, saying that comparing deaths caused by poverty to those caused by the Asian tsunami was helping to foster what he called ìBritainís cultural hostility to capitalismî.
But since becoming party leader, Mr Cameron has assiduously cultivated a ìsofterî image.
On his alleged ëcardinal errorí, the Tory supremoís official spokesperson said: “It wasn’t possible to meet the cardinal. I’m sorry if they feel aggrieved; there are lots of demands on David’s diary. We would hope to meet sometime in the future.”
A commentator told Ekklesia: ìThe cardinal is in danger of looking a wee bit pompous on this, and should maybe have a word with his advisers.î
Church leaders in Britain sometimes complain that they are not taken seriously enough in public debate. But media analysts argue that they have a voice out of proportion to their percentage of core adherents.
At the end of this month Jonathan Bartley, director of Christian think-tank and news service Ekklesia, will publish a book arguing that with the demise of Christendom (where the interests of church and state were regarded as common) the churches need to adopt a less establishment and more radical role.
[Also on Ekklesia, related to David Cameron: Tory leadership candidate attacks Christian agency on trade; BNP exploit racist fears and ‘Christian country’ claims; Government plans reopen debate on faith schools; Brown backs Archbishop on the morality of climate change action; Churches in the US pledge solidarity with migrants; MPs go speed dating over climate chaos; Church campaigners say government can be bolder on child poverty; Christian Aid laments receding trade talk hopes]