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Bishops Attacking The Coalition: A Brief History Of Religious Leaders Vs Benefit Cuts

Bish, Bash, Bosh: The Bishops Against Benefit Cuts
The Huffington Post UK
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Another day, and another of those pesky religious leaders has attacked the government over welfare reform.

This time it's Vincent Nichols, the leading Roman Catholic cleric in England and Wales, who has branded the Coalition's welfare reforms as a "disgrace" which leave vulnerable people facing "hunger and destitution".

The PM got himself into a spot of bother when he responded, being pulled up for a dodgy statistic when he explained why he thought Nichols was "profoundly wrong".

We "should not be surprised, and nor should we be dismissive, when members of the clergy make their views known", he wrote, insisting he welcomed the Archbishop's contribution.

Given the battering his polities have taken from the church in recent times, he could be forgiven for thinking the exact opposite.

Here's a brief recap:

Bish Bash Bosh
The Archbishop of Canterbury(01 of07)
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Justin Welby: "“These changes will mean it is children and families who will pay the price for high inflation, rather than the Government.” (credit:PA)
The last Archbishop of Canterbury(02 of07)
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Rowan Williams accused the coalition of forcing through "radical policies for which no one voted". (credit:PA)
The Archbishop of York(03 of07)
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John Sentamu questioned the government's record in dealing with the "new and terrible" problem of food poverty. (credit:PA)
David Cameron's local Bishop(04 of07)
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The Rev John Pritchard said spending cuts had been "disastrous" for communities. (credit:PA)
The Bishop of Manchester(05 of07)
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The Rev David Walker said George Osborne's view of the poor "has no place in our society outside the pages of a Victorian novel.” (credit:PA)
The Bishop of Liverpool(06 of07)
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James Jones attacked spending cuts, saying some cities risked "atrophy and death". (credit:PA)
The Bishop of Bradford(07 of07)
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Nick Baines: "Welfare reforms mean the poorest people are getting poorer, while the richest people are getting richer – and that’s a scandal."
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