Why there is no place on Britain’s city streets for the weaponisation of Christianity
The British journalist and author Thomas Burke wrote in 1910 of Liverpool that “No city or town in Great Britain, and few in Ireland, contains so many Catholics within its boundaries.” More than a century on his observation still holds true – the Archdiocese of Liverpool (which is far larger than just the city itself) can claim around 500,000 souls making it one of the largest Catholic populations in the UK.
At around the same time that Burke was making his observation, Liverpool was also renowned as ‘the Belfast of England’ on account of the extremely large number of Protestants living in the city. The name arose after simmering tensions between the two faith communities erupted on 20th June 1909, when a proposed march from St Joseph’s Catholic church in Grosvenor Street ended with rioters clashing with police after members of the Protestant community had blocked the route.
The neighbourhood around Scotland Road was vandalised by gangs on both sides wielding dangerous weapons, and one house was even set on fire. A local priest – Fr Fitzgerald – said that more than 3,200 Catholics had to flee the Protestant-dominated neighbourhood of Everton and move in to safer areas, while in turn a number of Protestant families were driven out of the Catholic-dominated dock areas. A subsequent government enquiry ran to almost 2,000 pages and gave rise to the ‘Belfast’ tag.
The passage of two world wars did a great deal to break down sectarian barriers in Liverpool and in more recent times the city has been an exemplar of Christian unity rather than division. In particular the groundbreaking work done by Archbishop Derek Worlock and Bishop David Sheppard in bridging religious divides and uniting communities in the turbulent 1970s and 80s created a new sense of unity amongst the city’s faith communities, and their iconic phrase “better together’ still resonates across the city today.
Against such a background the proposal for a UKIP march across the city this weekend under the theme “Walk for Jesus” was contentious and polarising to say the least. With the supposed aim to “stand for Christ in Liverpool during Lent”, the plan had been for UKIP leader Nick Tenconi to gather supporters on the precincts of the Catholic Metropolitan cathedral, before heading off around the city in a procession of which “the dedication is to the Passion of the Lord.”
It all marks a profound change of narrative from the last time UKIP marched in Liverpool – last August – when UKIP’s dominant theme and chanting was “send them back”, referring of course to migrants. It’s highly unlikely that UKIP and its membership has experienced a profound religious awakening over the winter, so it’s reasonable to ask why the justification for tomorrow’s march is the veneration of a Middle Eastern refugee who preached a doctrine of tolerance, love of the stranger and peace between peoples?
Something like this must have been on the mind of the Dean of the Metropolitan Cathedral, Monsignor Anthony O’Brien, who issued a swift and uncompromising rebuttal of the plan to use the cathedral piazza for this sort of spectacle.
“We wish to make it clear that the Cathedral has not given permission for this to take place on our piazza nor have the organisers consulted the Cathedral in relation to this,” said Mgr O’Brien.
“We wish to make it clear that we are strongly opposed to the Cathedral being used by any organisation for partisan political activity giving the impression that this is done in our name or ‘the Christian community on Merseyside’.
“Our worshipping community consists of people of every nationality and we welcome all to the Church … there is no place for prejudice, racism or bigotry towards others. We pray that these truths will be recognised by all”.
Monsignor O’Brien’s statement was picked up quickly by Churches Together in the Merseyside Region who were equally unequivocal in their criticisms.
“We stand with Monsignor Anthony O’Brien in strongly opposing the use of the piazza at the Metropolitan Cathedral and wish to make clear our shared commitment to love, justice and compassion. We will continue to stand firm against hatred, prejudice, racism and bigotry in all their forms, confident that these forces will not define who we are as a society.
“Liverpool has a proud history of resilience, solidarity and loving its neighbour. Often described as ‘the world in one city,’ it is a place shaped by generations of people from many nations, cultures and faiths who have built a shared life together. That rich diversity is a testament to what can flourish when we choose unity over division. We remain committed to reflecting these values throughout our congregations and in our everyday lives.
“Our calling is not to sow discord, but to build bridges; not to exclude, but to welcome; not to inflame fear, but to practise compassion. In that spirit, we are dedicated to unity and to upholding the dignity of every person in our society. The Christian message is one which speaks of God’s love for all people and we cannot accept any partisan political activity giving the impression that this is done in our name or the Christian community on Merseyside.”
The statement was signed by John Sherrington, Catholic Archbishop of Liverpool, Mgr O’Brien and nine other leaders of local Christian communities. Leaders of other faith groups in the city have also expressed their concerns about the march and its intentions.
At one level marches – even contentious and controversial ones – have long been part of the British landscape and are cited as evidence of our tolerant, liberal democracy. But we live in unprecedented times, in insecure times, and there is little of the UKIP march that resonates with the peaceful, joyful expressions of religious faith that have marked our cities in more recent times. Rather the reference back is to times of fear, division, prejudice and in particular an irrationally-driven suspicion of the stranger in our midst.
And not for the first time theology and religious symbolism is increasingly being distorted and co-opted into weapons of discontent and protest, and where the cross of Christ, the Rosary and the crucifix are no longer symbols of sacrificial love but are becoming badges of dangerous and divisive cultural differentiation. At the extremity of this most recent weaponisation of the teachings of Jesus are highly fanciful references to periods of historical Christian resistance to Muslims and Islam, with emphasis on apocryphal accounts of the Crusades and the campaigns of the Knights Templar. In this respect the Battle of Montgisard of 25th November 1177 is often referenced – as on this occasion a vastly outnumbered Templar army caught the Muslim hero Saladin by surprise and drove him back to Egypt with just 10% of his great army intact. Far less discussed are the massive retaliations by Saladin – at Marj Ayyun in 1179 and Hattin in 1187 – that all but wiped out the Templars and led to the fall of Jerusalem.
Citing obscure history from a past millennium may seem anachronistic, but it’s fantasies such as this – and even the weaponisation of Christ and the Virgin Mary – that are increasingly subscripting the new strain Christian militarism and identity politics that is surfacing in contemporary society. In the face of this the Catholic Church and other Christian faith leaders on Merseyside have shown exemplary civic leadership in putting an uncompromising fence of Christian solidarity around both the Catholic cathedral, and the city of Liverpool and its people – reflecting the city’s own status as an official UK City of Sanctuary in which the stranger is welcomed and able to contribute to the life of the city.
Throughout history the narrative of Jesus has been twisted into many abominations, mainly by those who cared little about – nor listened to – what Our Lord was actually saying. It has fallen into the hands of despots and dictators, and individuals seeking power for their own ends and to the detriment of others. For those who’ve listened the teachings of Jesus they have often been a spur to political resistance and demands for the common good; but never have they been a weapon to control and diminish the human spirit and human dignity.
Some 12 months after the publication of their best-selling book Better Together – Christian Partnership in a Hurt City, Bishop David Sheppard and Archbishop Derek Worlock penned a joint postscript in which they reflected on the tumultuous events in Liverpool that they’d written about, and how the people of the city had held fast through all the upheavals and tragedies that had beset them.
For both men the message they had drawn out of their theological journey was simple: “The natural, God-implanted desire to succeed … needs to be affirmed by Christians. We are to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. But that commandment insists that, when we make decisions for the well-being of our family … God’s other children must also go into the scales.”
It’s a small piece of wisdom that those marching tomorrow really ought to consider.
Joseph Kelly is a Catholic writer and public theologian
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Pic: Nick Tenconi (L). Protest against the persecution of Armenian Christians in Azerbaijan, Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in London. Credit: Guy Corbishley / Alamy Stock Photo