UK’s Labour Party can’t be sure of Catholic vote, says bishop

Mar 13, 2007 / 07:31 am

The Labour Party should not assume it will have the traditional working-class vote in Scotland in the upcoming election in view of recent legislation that does not uphold Christian principles, said Bishop Joseph Devine of Motherwell.

Catholics in Scotland have voiced their concern over the erosion of family values due to recent legislation recognizing same-sex civil unions and granting adoption rights to homosexuals. These laws have impacted Catholics and their traditional allegiance to Labour, the bishop said.

"For generations, including myself, Catholics in their droves tended to vote consistently for the Labour Party,” he was quoted as saying by The Scotsman. “But over the past few months it has been very noticeable, in conversations I've had with all manner of people, that that allegiance has been severely tested to the point, I think, of being broken."

"The state seems to have developed a new kind of morality devoid of any Christian principle or background," the bishop was quoted as saying. He warned it would be "ill-founded" of the Labour Party to assume it could count on the traditional vote.

Bishop Devine did not suggest who Catholics should vote for. He said it was for churchgoers to "exercise their votes responsibly, according to their conscience." But he told Radio 4's Sunday program he thought he might support the Christian People's Alliance.