The Prime Minister told Tory MPs that church leaders had been ‘less vociferous in their condemnation on Easter Sunday of Putin than they were on our policy on illegal immigrants’. Lambeth Palace called this ‘a disgraceful slur’. So who is right?
If the PM’s comment is confined to the archbishop of Canterbury, he appears to be technically correct. Welby’s high-profile sermon did attack the asylum policy in strong terms, and it had no such harsh words for Putin himself (even if he did say Easter should be a ‘time for Russian ceasefire, withdrawal and a commitment to talks’). Not only did Welby say that the deal raised ‘serious ethical questions’; he went into full prophet mode and declared that it would not ‘stand the judgment of God’.
Anglicanism has an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to enlightened politics
Lambeth Palace has responded that Welby has criticised Putin elsewhere, calling his invasion a ‘great act of evil’.
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