WRONG ABOUT SECULARISM

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Wrong about secularism

I've often wondered what it is Baroness Warsi does – and it strikes me that she must have wondered herself.

Hence how readily she embraced her chance to fly the flag for Cameron's UK vision all the way to the Vatican, where, in her Valentine's Day speech, she said militant secularism "demonstrates similar traits to totalitarian regimes."

This paranoid allying of secularism with totalitarianism was coupled with repeated reference to the Pope's state visit to Britain in 2010, and how successful and well received this was.

But she diplomatically avoided mention of the accompanying controversy and protest.

Moreover, she declined to pass judgment on instances of conflict between faith and public policy, genuflecting to someone who continues to evade the serious questions that she wouldn't dream of asking him.

It's not "aggressive secularism by stealth" the religious need fear, it's religious conservative authoritarians.

There were important matters to discuss with Vatican officials the following day: climate change, international aid, Somalia. This did yield a joint declaration calling for an "immediate end" to violence in Syria, which I imagine will make all the difference.

When Warsi says: "For me, one of the most worrying aspects about this militant secularisation is that at its core and in its instincts it is deeply intolerant", this exposes her ignorance of what secularism is.

She further misrepresents secularists as, "... the anti-religionists, the faith deniers... attempting to remove all trace of religion from culture, history and public discourse".

Secularism is not intolerant of any faith; but it rejects that privileged place, and automatic unqualified respect, that religious leaders and lobby groups carry in our political decision-making bodies.

Warsi has embarrassingly let down her country.

Lee Turnpenny, Southampton

MISREPRESENTING SECULARISM

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Misrepresenting secularism

Bishop Tim (First Person, February 18 ) suggests that this is an opportunity to "make those who are secular feel at home".

I would welcome that: for I did not feel welcome when he kept me from speaking in the civic service as chaplain to the Lord Mayor, nor when he wrote in these pages that my beliefs were a "tale told by an idiot", nor when the Lord Mayor, Lady Mayoress and I found ourselves listening to a psalm in which the psalmist grieves about "the ungodly" prospering but is reassured knowing that they will "consume: perish and come to a fearful end!".

I do not feel welcome when he insinuates that I would get rid of spires, churches, gurdwaras and temples – he did this several years ago in correspondence over setting up the Samworth Academy – he has had ample time to learn otherwise.

And as for wanting "a secular state from which all signs of human believing have been removed" – it is very difficult to engage with fantasies.

These may be personal matters, but when we come to Baroness Warsi's Vatican Speech, we are getting to serious issues important to us all.

We have a senior figure in our government who seems not to have the first idea of political and religious history, who lacks breadth of vision, who is dangerously intoxicated and naively enthusiastic.

Her smearing and demonising of secularism is frighteningly like the demonising of Islam that she and I would both condemn – it is never plain "secularism", but always "militant and deeply intolerant secularism", "aggressive secularism imposed by stealth", "totalitarian secularism that denies people the right to religious identity", "secularism that attempts to remove all trace of religion from culture, history and public discourse".

How did she get these ideas? Not by growing up in Leicester.Humanists and secularists do not ask people to give up or diminish their faith or dumb down – we ask them to look more deeply into them and share what they can with us.

We fully recognise that religion has a role to play and that it is central to the lives of many – we have always defended and will always defend freedom of religion.

We share with the Pope the view that "the world of secular rationality and the world of religious belief... need one another and should not be afraid to enter into a profound and ongoing dialogue, for the good of our civilisation".

We share with caliph Ali ibn Abu Talib: "Every man is your brother... either your brother in faith or your brother in humanity."

We share with Sayeeda Warsi the view that "the cultures we've created, the values we hold and the things we fight for stem from something we've argued over, dissented from, discussed and built up" – but does she have any idea what these things are? We share humanity with everyone.

Allan Hayes, Leicester Secular Society

It's ironic that, when I read Allan's letter on the Mercury website, two of the three "Ads by Google" listed immediately below it were: "How to convert to Islam" (become a Muslim with Live Help chat) and "Loft Conversion Experts".

WE STAND SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE POPE IN FIGHTING FOR FAITH

This article appears in today's Daily Telegraph:

We stand side by side with the Pope in fighting for faith

Britain’s delegation to Rome takes a message of religious confidence that should ring out beyond the Vatican walls , writes Baroness Warsi.

Today I have the honour of leading the largest ministerial delegation from the United Kingdom to the Vatican – our reciprocal visit following the momentous State Visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in September 2010.

We will be celebrating the decision Margaret Thatcher took 30 years ago to restore full diplomatic relations between our countries. The relationship between the UK and the Holy See is our oldest diplomatic relationship, first established in 1479. And today, thanks to the great success of the Pope’s visit, it is one of the strongest too.

But this trip is about more than a Valentine’s Day “love in” with our Catholic neighbours. This is about recognising the deep and intrinsic role of faith here in Britain and overseas. For a number of years I have been saying that we need to have a better understanding of faith in our country. Why? Because I profoundly believe that faith has a vital and important role to play in modern society. But mistakenly, faith has been neglected, undermined – and yes, even attacked – by governments in recent years.

When I met the Holy Father in 2010 he told me that he had heard what I had been saying and urged me to carry on making my case robustly. So today, I am taking a renewed message to the Vatican City; one which I want to ring out beyond the Vatican walls.

I will be arguing that to create a more just society, people need to feel stronger in their religious identities and more confident in their creeds. In practice this means individuals not diluting their faiths and nations not denying their religious heritages.

This is a message I’ve delivered on these pages before. But today I will be taking the argument one step further. I will be arguing for Europe to become more confident and more comfortable in its Christianity. The point is this: the societies we live in, the cultures we have created, the values we hold and the things we fight for all stem from centuries of discussion, dissent and belief in Christianity.These values shine through our politics, our public life, our culture, our economics, our language and our architecture. And, as I will say today, you cannot and should not extract these Christian foundations from the evolution of our nations any more than you can or should erase the spires from our landscapes.

My fear today is that a militant secularisation is taking hold of our societies. We see it in any number of things: when signs of religion cannot be displayed or worn in government buildings; when states won’t fund faith schools; and where religion is sidelined, marginalised and downgraded in the public sphere.

It seems astonishing to me that those who wrote the European Constitution made no mention of God or Christianity. When I denounced this tendency two days before the Holy Father’s State Visit in September 2010, saying that government should “do God”, I received countless messages of support. The overwhelming message was: “At last someone has said it”.

That so many people felt moved to write showed just how uneasy they were at the rising tide of secularism.

For me, one of the most worrying aspects about this militant secularisation is that at its core and in its instincts it is deeply intolerant. It demonstrates similar traits to totalitarian regimes – denying people the right to a religious identity because they were frightened of the concept of multiple identities.

That’s why in the 20th century, one of the first acts of totalitarian regimes was the targeting of organised religion.

Of course there is a crucial caveat to all of this. I am not calling for some kind of 21st century theocracy. Religious faith and its followers do not have the only answer. There will be times when politicians and faith leaders will disagree. What is more, secularism is not intrinsically damaging. My concern is when secularisation is pushed to an extreme, when it requires the complete removal of faith from the public sphere. So I am calling for a more open confidence in faith, where faith has a place at the table, though not an exclusive position.

When we look at the deep distrust between some communities today, there is no doubt that faith has a key role to play in bridging these divides. If people understand that accepting a person of another faith isn’t a threat to their own, they can unite in fighting bigotry and work together to create a more just world.

All the major religions ask their followers to stand up for their neighbours. Doing so doesn’t make you less of a Christian, less of a Jew, less of a Muslim – it makes you more of one.

So when I have my second audience with the Holy Father tomorrow afternoon, I will not just be looking back on his remarkable visit. I will be giving him my absolute commitment to continue fighting for faith in today’s society. I hope this is something we can share in and I hope it reinforces this extraordinary relationship between the UK and the Holy See.

BRITAIN BEING OVERTAKEN BY "MILITANT SECULARISTS"

This article appears on the front page of today's Daily Telegraph:

Britain being overtaken by "militant secularists"

Tory Chairman Baroness Warsi says we should defend the role of religion in public life

British society is under threat from the rising tide of “militant secularisation” reminiscent of “totalitarian regimes”, a Cabinet minister will warn on Tuesday.

In an historic visit to the Vatican, Baroness Warsi will express her “fear” about the marginalisation of religion throughout Britain and Europe, saying that faith needs “a seat at the table in public life”.

In an article for The Daily Telegraph, the Cabinet Office minister says that to create a “more just society” Britons must “feel stronger in their religious identities”.

The minister, who is also chairman of the Conservative Party, says: “My fear today is that a militant secularisation is taking hold of our societies. We see it in any number of things: when signs of religion cannot be displayed or worn in government buildings; and where religion is sidelined, marginalised and downgraded in the public sphere.

“For me, one of the most worrying aspects about this militant secularisation is that at its core and in its instincts it is deeply intolerant. It demonstrates similar traits to totalitarian regimes – denying people the right to a religious identity because they were frightened of the concept of multiple identities.”

Baroness Warsi leads an unprecedented government delegation to the Vatican where she will be received by Pope Benedict for a private audience on Wednesday.

She will be the first foreign minister to deliver an address to the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, which trains Papal diplomats, and the party will stay in the Santa Marta, an official residence in the Vatican for visiting cardinals.

The visit, to mark the 30th anniversary of the re-establishment of full diplomatic ties between Britain and the Vatican, follows the Pope’s successful visit to Britain in 2010 when he is said to have been impressed by the Government’s outspoken defence of the importance of religion in public life.

The speech represents one of the most strident defences of the importance of religion by a serving British minister. It comes days after the High Court ruled that local councils could not hold prayers during meetings. There have also been recent cases of public sector workers being banned from displaying Christian symbols at work.

David Cameron welcomed the visit. He said: “Our relationship with the Holy See is an important one and it speaks powerfully of the positive contribution faith can make to all societies.

“Sayeeda Warsi has consistently made the case for a deeper understanding of faith by the British Government so I am delighted that she will be taking this message to the Vatican personally.”

In the speech, Baroness Warsi, the country’s first female Muslim Cabinet minister, is expected to draw strongly on her background to illustrate the importance of religion. She grew up in a Northern mill town where Christian values were important during her youth. The minister has decided to send her own daughter to a Christian school.

The Conservative chairman will say that Christianity is a vital part of British life and warns of the dangers of eroding its importance.

“You cannot extract Christian foundations from the evolution of our nations any more than you can erase the spires from our landscape,” she will say in her speech.

“I see a great danger to this confident affirmation of religion today. It is what the Holy Father called the 'increasing marginalisation of religion’ during his speech in Westminster Hall. I see it in the United Kingdom and I see it in Europe. Spirituality, suppressed. Divinity, downgraded.

“Where, in the words of the Archbishop of Canterbury, faith is looked down as the hobby of 'oddities, foreigners and minorities’. Where religion is dismissed as an eccentricity because it’s infused with tradition.”

However, Baroness Warsi will call for a more robust discussion between people of different faiths. She says that faith has a “key role” in bridging divides. She will say: “Interfaith dialogue works when we debate our differences, when we wear our beliefs on our sleeves. It’s not about you giving your version of God, and me giving my version of God. And us coming to some watered-down compromise.”

In her speech, the peer will urge that European countries need to be “more confident” about the role of Christianity.

“Our continent needs the zeal of a convert,” she will say. “Not from discovering something new but rediscovering something which has underpinned our civilisations for centuries.”

Last year, the Prime Minister made a flagship speech on the importance of faith. However, the Archbishop of Canterbury has been highly critical of some aspects of Coalition policy, particularly government cuts, prompting criticism by some ministers.

In her article for The Daily Telegraph, Baroness Warsi makes it clear she is not calling for religious leaders to have the final say on government and social matters.

She says: “I am not calling for some kind of 21st century theocracy. Religious faith and its followers do not have the only answer. There will be times when politicians and faith leaders will disagree. What is more, secularism is not intrinsically damaging. My concern is when secularisation is pushed to an extreme, when it requires the complete removal of faith from the public sphere.

“I am calling for a more open confidence in faith, where faith has a place at the table, though not an exclusive position.”

Seven ministers including Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary, Owen Paterson, the Northern Ireland Secretary and Michael Moore, the Scottish Secretary, travel to the Vatican on Tuesday. They will be joined by the Archbishop of Westminster. They will meet Holy See officials on Wednesday to discuss issues including human rights and international development.

The delegation will then be received by Pope Benedict XVI — an honour not normally accorded those who are not heads of state or government.

It comes as a report conducted for the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science (UK) suggested that almost three quarters (74 per cent) of Christians polled agreed that religion should not influence public policy, while only about one in eight (12 per cent) thought it should, the survey found.

It also found that 92 per cent of Christians agreed the law should apply to everyone equally, regardless of their personal religious beliefs.

Just over a quarter (26 per cent) said they completely believed in the power of prayer, with more than one in five (21 per cent) saying they either did not really believe in it or did not believe in it at all.

Almost half (49 per cent) had not attended a church service in the previous 12 months, apart from on occasions such as weddings, funerals and baptisms.

RELIGION - NOT AN OBSESSION BUT THE TRUTH

The Bishop of Leicester's First Person column appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Religion - not an obsession but the truth

The Bishop of Leicester explores the importance of the Christmas message for our society

This week the National Secular Society has accused the BBC of being "obsessed with religion". I think they are objecting to the invitation to the Pope to give the Thought for the Day on Radio 4's Today Programme which was broadcast this morning on Christmas Eve. They might also be objecting to the decision to run the Nativity series on BBC TV in the prime slot at 7pm each day this week. I wonder why it is thought to be obsessive for our major national broadcasting institution to be helping the nation to understand what Christmas celebration is all about. Recently a shocking statistic demonstrated that only a small percentage of our young people even knew the story of Christmas. Have we gained anything from losing our hold on the story which makes sense of this mid-winter celebration?

This week our city council has decided to press ahead with an election for a Mayor of Leicester. Hidden in all our preparations for holiday-making and partying comes a solid piece of political news.

Are these two completely disconnected worlds? Do politics and Christmas have anything to do with each other? In one of the great Bible readings from our Carol Services this year come these words from the Prophet Isaiah: "For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon His shoulders; and He is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

The Christmas story tells us that God comes to us as a human being. 

And that all of us stand under His authority and judgement, even politicians, even the most powerful people in the world. That truth is right at the heart of how we understand ourselves as a nation. It is acted out in the Coronation Service when the Queen places the sword of state on the altar of Westminster Abbey – acknowledging a higher authority than her own.

The Pope, speaking in Westminster Hall earlier this year, acknowledged that the voice of the Church of England in this country has helped to create a Britain that has fought against the most secular evils of the 20th century, by holding our politicians to account.

The celebrations we all share in are not based on a fairy story of long ago and far away. But upon a real story of a real truth about the real world. God comes to us in Jesus. He comes today and everyday. And He comes to reveal to us that the way to peace, justice and prosperity is by means of the law of love. This is not an obsession, but a truth.

A very happy Christmas to you all.

sign the pledge

An invitation to Leicester Cathedral this morning, for the public signing and launch of a pledge that the city’s faith communities stand together in the face of the controversial demonstration by the English Defence League (EDL) a week tomorrow. Originating with the Faiths Leaders Forum, which is chaired by the Bishop of Leicester, the pledge will be available in the Cathedral over the coming week for people of all faiths (and of none) to come in and sign. The text of the pledge is as follows:

We, leaders and members of faith communities in Leicester, value highly the diversity of the city and the contribution different communities make to the wellbeing and quality of life in our city. We condemn all who seek to divide and sow seeds of distrust between our communities. In particular we condemn, in the strongest terms, the activities of the English Defence League, directed against out Muslim brothers and sisters. We also affirm that the EDL’s use of the Christian religion to support their perspective is a blasphemous misinterpretation of the Christian Gospel.

We fully endorse the words spoken by Her Majesty the Queen in welcoming Pope Benedict on his state visit:

“Your Holiness, in recent times you have said that ‘religions can never become vehicles of hatred, that never by invoking the name of God can evil and violence be justified. Today, in this country, we stand united in that conviction. We hold that freedom to worship is at the core of our tolerant and democratic society.

We will work with all people of goodwill to encourage mutual respect, valuing the dignity of every person and we encourage all citizens of Leicester to do the same.

There's a higher degree of media presence here today than I've seen at any inter-faith event in Leicester: BBC radio and TV and the Leicester Mercury are here to cover it.

Six of the eight member communities of Leicester Council of Faiths have people here to sign the pledge. I'm the only Bahá'í here, so I sign the pledge on behalf of the Leicester community. This is the first occasion on which I've identified myself as such, after more than three years in this post. But these are special times.

In the photo: representatives of the city's Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Jewish communities with the Bishop of Leicester, outside the Cathedral this morning.

Papal visit: how's it playing in Leicester?

Up much too early (the paper is delivered here at 0430 each morning, which combines with the occasional touch of night time hypoglaecemia to keep me out of bed), I read with interest The Guardian's coverage of the visit of Pope Benedict. I'm wryly surprised to see two of our local worthies commenting on the speech given by the Supreme Pontiff at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Suleman Nagdi, for the Federation of Muslim Organisations, and Allan Hayes, President of the Leicester Secular Society and the first humanist chaplain to the city's Lord Mayor, feature in an article entitled, "Papal visit: Linking the godless to a lack of values is wrong, say critics: Humanists, Christians, Jews and Muslims speak out for the 'common good' after pope's speech to Queen at Holyrood". As well as quoting both men at length, the article has positive things to say about them, the organisations they represent and Leicester in general.

Read the article here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/16/papal-visit-linking-godless-lack-values-wrong

MORE THAN 500 LEICESTERSHIRE PILGRIMS TO JOIN MASS WITH POPE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

More than 500 Leicestershire pilgrims to join mass with Pope

A convoy of more than 500 pilgrims is to leave Leicester on a week on Sunday to take part in an open-air mass celebrated by the Pope.

Eleven coaches full of worshippers will be heading to Birmingham on an organised trip for the service with Benedict XVI.

Strict security is being imposed for the mass, which is part of a four-day official state visit, to prepare against any disruption.

Peaceful protests are likely over the Pope's record on child abuse in the Catholic church, his views on homosexuality and opposition to the ordination of women.

In all, 70,000 Roman Catholics including 1,000 priests are expected at the ceremony in Cofton Park.

The mass will beatify Cardinal Newman, a Victorian clergyman who converted to the Roman Catholic Church from the Church of England.

The service will mark a step towards Cardinal Newman being canonised as a saint.

Local Papal visit co-ordinator Father David Cain, who is based at St Peter's Catholic Church in Leicester, is confident the day will pass off well but he said security was a serious consideration.

Father Cain said: "Originally we had thought of just the coach leaders having photo ID. But it was felt that if everyone had it then the police would be helped and we all could be identified should something happen."

All the pilgrims will carry either a passport, photo driving licence or other form of identification card with a picture.

As part of a "pilgrim pack" which costs £25, there will be an itinerary for the day and orders of service.

Places on the trip were in high demand and oversubscribed.

Each parish in Leicestershire was allocated 16 places on a coach which would have worshippers from three parishes.

Father Cain said: "Each of the 11 coaches will have 49 passengers. Parishes had their own selection systems.

"Some held lotteries. At one parish, I picked out the winning numbers."

The convoy will leave at 3.45am from the Mother of God Church, in New Parks Boulevard.

Gates will open at 6am, there will be a morning service followed by the beatification mass at 10am. One county resident guaranteed to meet the Pope is Marion Lewis, who is a member of the Church of England.

She will be attending a welcoming reception by the Queen at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh shortly after the pontiff lands in Britain on Thursday.

Mrs Lewis is the national chairman of the Neighbourhood Watch scheme.

She has been chosen by the Home Office to represent voluntary organisations.

Mrs Lewis, who lives in Market Harborough, said: "I have had some ribbing from my Catholic friends who could not get a place on the bus when they found out I was going to meet the Pope."

She said security for the reception would also be very tight.

"I too have been asked to bring photo identification at the event to accompany my official invitation," she said.

A NATION OF FUZZY DOUBTERS

Ahead of the visit to the UK of Pope Benedict next week, today's Guardian contains an interesting article about how religious adherence is measured.

A nation of fuzzy doubters 

"People cling to the idea of religion as a source of morality," says Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society. "There is general apathy: people don't want to make a fuss."


Many Britons have at best a shallow belief in God: the most recent British Social Attitudes survey found that just a third of the population held firm religious beliefs, with another third deeply sceptical and the final third uncertain.


[...]


"People prefer to talk about spirituality rather than religion, which can mean anything you want it to," says Sanderson.


[...]


According to demographer David Voas at Manchester University: "The part of the population that is properly religious is a minority, but so is that part which is overtly secular. In the middle is an informal group of fuzzy people who don't really care."


Britain is not, as some think, the most secular nation in Europe; it is less so than Scandinavia and parts of the former Soviet bloc.


Migrant communities are the most committed - even long-standing ones, such as the Irish Catholics who dominate what Voas calls "the British bible belt running from Merseyside to Wigan pier."


Most other people are less engaged, although measuring belief is difficult and the data conflicting.


Much depends on how questions are asked and whether they refer to broad social identity or practical belief.


The census, which records the highest level of religious belief, assumes people are adherents of one religion or another and actively asks them to choose from a list.


In 2001, more than two-thirds selected Christian and well under a fifth no religion. that, says Voas, overstates the reality of British religious belief. Asked to choose Christian rather than Muslim or Hindu, people see it as an ethnic identity. Voas argues that the British Social Attitudes survey, which found over half the population holding no strong religious views, is a better measure.


Other polls go further. In a 2006 Guardian/ICM poll only 33% described themselves as religious, against 69% who said they were not - including a majority who described themselves as culturally Christian.


Women and older people were more likely than average to believe in a god, but overall only 13% said they went to a place of worship at least once a week. More people saw religion as a force for harm than for good.


That suggests a country where religion is on the retreat. "There is a huge change - the trend is toward secularism," says Sanderson.


Others, pointing to the impact of migration, from Catholic Poland as well as the Indian subcontinent, are less sure.


The country's religious makeup is fragmenting as the Church of England declines. "It is not the case that Britain is getting more religious," says Voas.

ANGLICAN CHURCH CONGREGATION IN LEICESTER CONSIDERS CONVERTING TO CATHOLICISM

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

 

Anglican church congregation in Leicester considers converting to Catholicism

The congregation at one of the oldest Anglican churches in Leicester is considering converting to Catholicism.

About 50 members of St Mary de Castro's congregation met Catholic leaders yesterday to discuss the move.

It followed the Pope's invitation last year to disaffected Anglicans, who feel their Church has become too liberal, to convert to Roman Catholicism.

Pope Benedict XVI's decree would allow traditionalist Anglicans to accept all Roman Catholic doctrine and teachings while maintaining aspects of the Anglican tradition.

Nine-hundred-year-old St Mary de Castro, in Castle Street, near St Nicholas Circle, is already an Anglo-Catholic church.

Anglo-Catholics agree with most the Roman Catholic church teachings, but use the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer and hold Evensong. They would still be able to do if that, if they moved to the Catholic church.

Terry Doughty, from Leicester's West End, organised yesterday's meeting.

He said he believed that if a vote took place now, the majority of the congregation would stay as they are, but added there was lots more to discuss before a decision was reached.

"The Church of England has deviated from traditional beliefs and has become more liberal in its way of looking at things – for some it has become too liberal," said Mr Doughty.

"Women as bishops is one of the reasons traditionalists are unhappy."

He said there were "certainly members of this congregation who would want to take up the Pope's generous offer".

"It's hard to say what could, or might happen until more discussions are held at a higher level," added Mr Doughty.

He said if the congregation did convert, he believed the church building would "in all probability remain with the diocese and those who wanted to become Catholic would have to worship elsewhere".

The Church of England's ruling General Synod voted in 2008 to consecrate women as bishops.

Churchwarden Joyce Levell and her husband, Frank, from Groby, both said they were against female bishops and would support a move to Catholicism if a vote took place.

Mr Levell, 78, said: "There's not a lot of difference between Anglo-Catholic and Roman Catholic.

"I wouldn't be opposed to joining up with the Catholic church if things continue and I think a lot of people within the church share my views."

Father Leon Pereira, prior at the Catholic Holy Cross Priory, in Leicester, was at yesterday's talks and answered questions.

He said: "Recent developments have made them sit up and think their church is not Catholic, whereas they have always had this mindset they were very much linked to Catholicism."

The Archdeacon of Leicester, the Ven Richard Atkinson, said he valued the Catholic church but hoped Anglo-Catholics would remain within the Church of England.

He said: "The invitation is a fundamental shift in identity. It's not that simple.

"Our focus is working closely with our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters in the county but I'm surprised by the Pope's offer, which I believe is untimely and unhelpful.

"The whole church is in a careful process of deciding how we can respect and celebrate the role of women."