BHA: Most Britons oppose Pope’s state visit

A large majority of people oppose the Pope’s impending visit to the UK, a new poll for a Christian think tank has found. The poll, published today (04/09/10) surveyed people’s views on the Pope visiting the UK and also their views on a set of statements by the Pope on various social issues. The British Humanist Association (BHA) has described the results as ‘hardly surprising’ as they show not only that most oppose the state visit of the Pope but also a high public concern for issues including the environment, social responsibility and human rights. The BHA said the results are evidence that these are largely shared rather than religious values towards ethical and social issues.

Andrew Copson, BHA Chief Executive commented:

‘It is hardly news that a lot of people in Britain care about the environment, social responsibility and human rights – these are important shared values for religious and non-religious people alike in this country and we don’t need religious leaders to teach them to us. Where the agreement of people with these statements of the Pope does break down is when God is brought in to the equation rather than our shared values, and this too is hardly surprising in Britain, where our morality is increasingly based on reason, empathy and our own experience rather than on religious texts and authorities. It is also no surprise that people in Britain reject the harsh and irrational view that people’s non-religious beliefs are the cause of poverty.

‘The BHA and other members of the Protest the Pope campaign are not against the Pope coming to the UK as a religious leader, with the religious organisation of which he is the head footing the bill. Our opposition is to the visit being a state visit, with the British people footing the bill. This poll makes clear that most people agree with us.’

Notes

The ComRes poll for Theos found that 76% of Britons think taxpayers should not be paying for the cost of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit.

For further comment or information, contact Andrew Copson at andrew@humanism.org.uk or 07534 248596.

The British Humanist Association is the national charity representing and supporting the interests of ethically concerned, non-religious people in the UK. It is the largest organisation in the UK campaigning for an end to religious privilege and to discrimination based on religion or belief, and for a secular state.