The various Catholic Leaders who are putting pressure on Catholic MP’s to vote a certain way should be publically censured for an outrageous abuse of PR.
It’s Easter, a time in which Christians celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a time remembered for the meddling of ‘High Priests’ and Politiciansk, yet the Archbishop of Cardiff (and others) has attempted to manipulate public opinion against Catholic Members of Parliament.
The archbishop told BBC Radio 4: “Those MPs who have approached me over recent weeks have said: ‘Look, I don’t think this is right. I accept the teachings of the Church, yet I am a Government minister, or I am a Labour MP. Can I discuss with you the moral dilemma I have got?”
Religion is and should always be a private matter for an individual and the Catholic leaders who have effectively tried to blackmail Catholic MP’s into voting against the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, should be publically reprimanded by Catholic MP’s.
In a world in which we are trying to build religious tolerance and understand why certain groups are driven to extremism, it seems odd that our Religious leaders still think that MP’s are to be used as religious pawns as there were in the 18th Century.
In PR terms I feel that the Catholic Church and those MP’s who admit to be practising Catholics have been damaged by a very awkwardly executed media campaign. The campaign should have been solely focused on the need for a free vote on this issue and not suggested that Catholic MP’s are undertaking some conspiracy that will see them all voting against the bill.
We should be free to vote for Politicians who will represent constituencies and constituents without being clouded by religious sentiment.
PR and Comms Network 