Bishop Devine's call to battle against secularism

Many thanks to Gillibrand of Cathcon for the text of Bishop Joseph Devine's Gonzaga lecture at Glasgow. (Saying no to Secularism) The first part of the lecture is a fascinating discussion of sectarianism in Scotland today, looking at historical and cultural questions and offering some surprising observations.

The second half of the lecture is of more general interest in England as well as Scotland. He tackles the question of secularism in principle, emphasising particularly that:
"When liberty and equality are made the supreme values, not truth and goodness, then we have an agenda that is no longer answerable to what is true and what is good."
On specific issues, Bishop Devine drew attention to his opposition to the adoption bill:
It was at this point, when I saw what the legislation entailed, that I went to war against the Scottish Executive. I did this on my own behalf, as I was convinced that the only way ahead was to defeat the primary legislation. I did not have the support of the Bishops as they had been advised by our Parliamentary Officer that the Scottish Executive would find a way to protect our agencies in the adoption field.
His honest and hard-hitting comments offer welcome leadership.

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