(Church of England's) Archbishop Rowan Williams backs revolt against coalition's welfare cuts

[Turborama]

Source: The Guardian

Bishops across the country, backed by Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, have condemned the coalition government's controversial welfare reforms, which they say risk pushing thousands of children into poverty and homelessness.

Eighteen Church of England bishops, backed by Williams and the archbishop of York, John Sentamu, are demanding that ministers rewrite their flagship plan to impose a £500-a-week benefit cap on families.

In an open letter in Observer, they say the Church of England has a "moral obligation to speak up for those who have no voice". Their message is that the cap could be "profoundly unjust" to the poorest children in society, especially those in larger families and those living in expensive major cities.

The high-profile intervention comes after the Church of England became embroiled in an embarrassing row over its attitude to anti-capitalist protests outside St Paul's Cathedral in London. One cleric resigned over plans to evict the protesters forcibly, arguing that the Church should have been more supportive of their cause.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/nov/19/archbishop-rowan-williams-welfare-reforms

[LeftishBrit]

1. k&r

This ethnically Jewish atheist is cheering the bishops on this issue!

[Prophet 451]

2. Good for him but it's not going to matter

The public mood toward the unemployed has gotten very, very ugly here due to a constant barrage of propoganda from teh right-wing press.