London, England, May 31, 2006 / 22:00 pm
A senior Anglican bishop has questioned Prince Charles' intention to be seen as the defender of all faiths, rather than just Christianity, should he succeed to the throne.
Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali of Rochester said differences between the faiths makes it impossible to defend them all. He said the coronation service would oblige the new king to take an oath to defend the Christian church if he succeeded to the throne.
The bishop told the BBC that the basis of British society, including the monarchy, is Christianity. Legal arrangements are also derived from the Judeo-Christian ethic, he said.
"All our values come ultimately from the Bible,” the bishop reportedly said. “People of other faiths recognize this and they are not often the ones asking for a multi-faith mish-mash. They recognize the value of Britain being a Christian country.
"To be a distinctively Christian country does not necessarily mean that we don't welcome other people," the bishop stated.
Prince Charles first expressed a wish to become "Defender of Faith" rather than "Defender of the Faith" in an interview in 1994, when he suggested that the title held by all British monarchs since Henry VIII implied that they would protect only Christians.
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