Archbishop: Believers treated as oddities

LONDON, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- The archbishop of Canterbury says Britain's Labor government views all religious people as "oddities" and disregards their faith.

In an interview published Friday by The Daily Telegraph, Archbishop Rowan Williams said British leaders institute policies on religion that "assume it is a problem, it's an eccentricity, it's practiced by oddities, foreigners and minorities."

Taking a swipe at "the political class," Rowan told the newspaper the effect of those policies is "to de-normalize faith, to intensify the perception that faith is not part of our bloodstream. And, you know, in great swaths of the country that's how it is."

The archbishop's claims were similar to those contained in a recent church-backed report asserting that the British government was only paying "lip service" to Christianity while "focusing intently" on Muslims.

Asked by the Telegraph if he believed political leaders should be more open about their faith, Williams replied: "I don't think it would do any harm at all. I think part of establishing their human credentials is saying, 'This is where my motivation comes from. I'm in politics because this is what I believe.' And that includes religious conviction."