This letter is published in today's Leicester Mercury:
Bishop enjoys a privileged role
Tim Stevens must be glad that Interfaith Week is well behind us now. (First Person, December 12).
Interfaith Week, with its themes of social cohesion and understanding between people of all faiths and none, leaves him once again free to attack non-religious people.
These are the people who number among their ranks some of the most active in defending good community relations against the divisive cancer of sectarianism.
His title is Bishop of Leicester. How a Bishop is appointed is a mystery to many – it certainly isn't through a process respecting equality of opportunity, in an organisation tearing itself apart over gender rights and an obsession with sexuality. And he didn't come to be "of Leicester" through any election of the people of our diverse city.
Nonetheless, he enjoys enormous privileges. He is part of the senior management of the Church of England, one of the country's biggest property businesses, and one whose coffers will be filled from donations in proportion to the numbers persuaded of the importance of the Nativity story enough to put their bums on church pews a few times over the festive season. Our unwritten constitution even guarantees him a seat in the national legislature.
Let's return to our goodwill and cheer this festive season, and look forward to a future time when people with a genuine spirit of peace in their hearts are our favoured opinion makers.
Frank Friedmann, Scraptoft
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