The Pope could give Labour “hell” over its record on family matters, the leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland said yesterday. Cardinal Keith O’Brien hit out in the wake of a speech by Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy in which he attempted to appeal to religious voters.
Cardinal O’Brien accused the government of making “a systematic and unrelenting attack on family values”.
With Pope Benedict XVI due to visit Scotland later this year, the churchman revealed he had told Labour Holyrood leader Iain Gray that “he could really give you hell for what you have done in our country over the past 10 years”.
Cardinal O’Brien has criticised government policies on stem cell experimentation on human embryos, civil partnerships, same-sex adoption and abortion.
He said: “There’s a whole series of measures which have been legislated for over the past 10 years which are against basic Christian standards.
“I feel on behalf of my own Church and peoples of other faiths as well, that I am entering into this daily contest, fighting for the standards by which we stand as Christians here.”
Cardinal O’Brien said he had met the Pope in Rome recently and also said he had spoken to Mr Gray about the pontiff’s visit to Scotland.
He said the Labour Party had “accepted some praise” for playing a role in attracting the Pope to Scotland.
Cardinal O’Brien continued: “I said to Iain Gray ‘when the Pope does come I hope he emphasises to you the Christian teaching when he’s here, that’s what John Paul II did when he was here’.
“And in some ways I said to him he could really give you hell for what you have done in our country over the past 10 years, demeaning family and married life and these other things that have been happening over the past 10 years.”
Mr Murphy said on Tuesday night that “faith has always been important to Labour”.
The Scottish secretary, who was delivering the Progress lecture, stated: “In the US, faith has long played a central part in politics.
“Not surprising for a country where 60% of people say that God plays an important part in their lives.
“But it’s wrong to think that it plays no role in British politics.”
Mr Murphy, a Catholic, added research from the time of the 2005 general election suggested Labour support was strongest among religious people.
The Pope was invited to the UK by Prime Minister Gordon Brown during a private audience, and earlier this month the Catholic Church confirmed Scotland would be included in the visit which is expected to take place in the autumn.
Pope Benedict XVI’s visit will be the first since predecessor John Paul II’s visit in 1982.
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