Archburqa of Canterbury

The Church of England is a decreasingly funny parody of a Christian church. Its Archbishopess of decidedly liberal views has given a prestigious, public award to an Islamic supporter of Osama Bin Laden on the very anniversary of his most savage atrocity, before hastily retracting it. Furthermore, the gleeful recipient of the honour duly appeared at Lambeth Palace with his wife ghoulishly encased in the Islamic niqab and burqa. Quite how the Very Reverend Sarah, Feminist-in-Chief, reconciled herself to this overt symbol of misogyny, one cannot tell. ‘Liberal Christians’ seem to have a strange affection for all things Islamic, as though Muslims' desert garb and tanned skin make them exotic specimens at which to gaze and admire. Had a conservative Christian suggested that a husband is head of the wife as Christ is head of the Church, we may be certain that the Old Dame would have got herself all cross.

Mullaly is a waxwork marionette of a progressive liberal, jumping on all the right bandwagons and making the right noises as her handed script demands. The secular culture pulls her strings in time to its music, and she dutifully dances about, celebrating Islam here and then feminist sentiments there, sharing pro-choice arguments in this corner and insipid theology in the other. This time, however, she got caught out. Politicians of every hue are criticising her clumsy, cack-handed judgement, and concern has risen for Pakistani Christians (real ones, this time) who may experience a backlash for the ill-fated award’s inevitable withdrawal.

As Anglican parish churches close and their attendance shrinks, this hopeless woman neatly sums up progressive, British Christianity: weak, tarnished, dull and foolish.

A. D