Scottish Cardinal Denounces Great Britain's Official Anti-Catholicism

Good news for Jacobites:

Aug. 07 (CWNews.com) - Cardinal Keith O'Brien of Edinburgh has lashed out at "state-sponsored sectarian discrimination" in Great Britain.

Speaking about a campaign to reduce sectarian animosity, Cardinal O'Brien observed that the British constitution contains "arcanely offensive language" describing Catholics as "papists." He denounced the Act of Settlement, passed by Parliament in 1701 and still in force today, which bars both Catholics and their spouses from the English throne.

Cardinal O'Brien spoke out as the Glasgow Rangers soccer team launched a "Pride over Prejudice" campaign, aimed at eliminating the displays of religious bigotry -- anti-Catholic songs and chants -- that have been common among soccer fans in the past. While endorsing such efforts to break down old sectarian animosities, the cardinal argued that an end to religious tensions will not come as long as the country's highest laws embody anti-Catholic prejudice.

"Anyone who seriously believes that introducing legislation aimed at eradicating sectarian attacks -- which are often verbal -- while elements of the very lexicon of hate they seek to abolish remain on our statute books, is indulging in wilful ignorance," he said.

(emphasis added)