Christians and the followers of other religions in Britain sometimes come up hard against an aggressive secularism. This seeks to exclude religion from public discourse and even prevent its inclusion in our historical narratives, except as something foreign and regrettable. Such adversaries are generally forgetful of – or deliberately in denial of – the influence of religion in the formation of every great civilisation.
In his address to politicians in Westminster Hall in 2010, Benedict XVI described our political system in glowing terms, as one would expect on such an occasion:
