THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron has told Christians he does not want to “fall out” with them over his plan to legalise gay marriage but is prepared for the religious backlash.
In his first face-to-face exchanges with Christian opponents of the proposal, the Prime Minister sought to reassure critics that church law would not be affected by extending civil marriage to same-sex couples.
He struck a conciliatory tone with religious leaders, welcoming what he described as a Christian “fightback” against secular attempts to remove references to faith from public life.
In recent months, Mr Cameron has been more willing to speak about the role that Christianity can play in modern Britain. Last December he warned that the Church of England should make itself relevant to the agenda of the whole country.
The Coalition launched a consultation on extending civil marriage to homosexual couples last month, prompting an immediate outcry from traditionalist Christians and Tory backbenchers as well as Muslim and Sikh representatives.
During an Easter reception in Downing Street, attended by church ministers and senior Christian politicians, Mr Cameron offered what he described as a “plea” to the assembled churchmen.
“I hope we won’t fall out too much over gay marriage,” he said. “There’ll be some strong arguments and some strong words.”
Mr Cameron attempted to reassure his audience that his proposals would “change what happens in a register office, not what happens in a church”. » | Tim Ross | Political Correspondent | Tuesday, April 03, 2012
