The Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols has warned that gay
marriage will split Britain from its Christian roots and leave
Christians as "strangers in their own land".Archbishop Nichols says the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act, which received Royal assent last week, "completes the privatisation of marriage so that its central content is whatever the couple wish to construct".
It renders the historic titles of husband and wife effectively "gender neutral".
In a booklet-length reflection that will be made available to parishes this past weekend, Archbishop Nichols, president of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, says the Act has taken society a significant step "away from its Judeo-Christian foundations".
"Marriage is no longer a truly public institution at the basis of society," he warns.