The Scottish Government yesterday rejected claims of political moral cowardice levelled by Scotland's most senior Roman Catholic as a schism threatened to develop between the Church and the SNP administration over how to tackle social problems. Cardinal Keith O'Brien used a strongly worded newspaper article to condemn the approach being taken to combat alcohol abuse, drug addiction and family breakdown, claiming that politicians were resorting to “ever more frenzied regulation”.
The Cardinal singled out the SNP Government's plans to introduce minimum alcohol pricing as an example of a “deeply flawed” and “utterly discredited” approach.
Cardinal O'Brien said: “This policy mirrors the approach taken by this and previous administrations to drug use, vandalism, antisocial behaviour, obesity, even promiscuity, and might usefully be called the ‘command and control' model of public governance.”
He went on: “Advocates of such a model take the view that ‘bad behaviour', whether it be public drunkenness, health-threatening overeating or teenage promiscuity, are all immutable and unchangeable.”
The SNP administration at Holyrood dismissed the charge that it was guilty of moral cowardice.
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “I don't think anyone could reasonably argue that our alcohol policy is anything other than a bold and radical approach.”
Although the Cardinal disagrees with the SNP that the introduction of new laws will help to solve the country's problems with alcohol, his criticism of the political process extends well beyond the actions of the current administration at Holyrood.
Writing in The Sunday Times, he made a general attack on politicians of all parties: “In place of leadership and moral compass, a stifling political consensus seems to compel our parties and our Parliament into ever more frenzied regulation.”
He also cited the example of tighter air gun laws brought in by Westminster following the shooting of a toddler in Glasgow and the availability of contraception and abortion as evidence of policy dealing with the “symptoms of social breakdown rather than the causes”.
The Cardinal went on to warn: “Scotland is staring into the abyss of social collapse. Too many of our young people are caught up in a maelstrom of drug and alcohol-fuelled promiscuity, hedonism, vandalism and outright nihilism.
“It is a whirlwind which we will reap for a long time to come.
“We are paying the price for denying too many of our young people security, stability and morality, a price paid in shattered lives and broken children.”
Cardinal O'Brien called for action to address what he believes are the underlying causes of social problems, such as marriage breakdown and the fracturing of family life.
He wants investment in marriage preparation courses and reconciliation services and reform of the tax credit system.
A spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church said: ”The Cardinal's comments are general ones about the political system. He believes the fear of moralising extends to all the parties and exists at Westminster as well as Holyrood.”
Cardinal O'Brien's comments came as the Archbishop of Canterbury challenged Gordon Brown's plan to spend Britain's way out of the recession.
Rowan Williams used his Easter sermon to advocate a return to the spiritual values embraced by monastic communities, such as poverty, chastity and obedience, and called on people to curb their shopping appetites.
Dr Williams said: “The present financial crisis has dealt a heavy blow to the idea that human fulfilment can be thought about just in terms of material growth and possession.”
The new Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, who takes over from Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor next month, called for more spiritual living.
He told Sky News his Easter message was: “We all need to take a bit more time to live life a bit more deeply, with a bit more reflection, a bit more spirit. We are so rushed. What I would love to encourage families to do is to find a bit of time to stop together and maybe chat and pray together.”
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(Source: TOUK)