Nov 14, 2007 / 06:25 am
Bishop Joseph Devine of the Diocese of Motherwell harshly criticized British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for failing to pledge the reform of Britain's anti-Catholic laws, The Times reports.
In a letter to Downing Street, Bishop Devine accused the Prime Minister of compromising his beliefs in justice, virtue, and respect, saying he had "broken faith" with Britain's five million Catholics.
The bishop demanded that "a firm timetable" be set to reform the 1701 Act of Settlement and that the government pledge that Catholics would no longer be victims of state-sponsored sectarianism.
The Act of Settlement was originally introduced to secure Protestant succession to the British throne by enshrining anti-Catholic measures into law. It forbids the heir to the throne from marrying a Roman Catholic.