The head of the Roman Catholic church in England and Wales has made his strongest attack yet on the government's plans to introduce same-sex marriage, lambasting them as "shambolic" as he accused David Cameron of "shallow thinking".
In comments reflecting the degree of anger in religious circles over the plans, which could see the first gay weddings take place in 2014, the archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, said the means by which the plans had been drawn up were undemocratic and even Orwellian.
"Frankly, the process is shambolic," he told the BBC. "There was no announcement in any party manifesto; there's been no green paper; there's been no statement in the Queen's speech. And yet here we are on the verge of primary legislation. From a democratic point of view, it's a shambles."
The government says that, under its plans to legalise gay marriage, no religious group would be obliged to perform such ceremonies against its will. Cameron has said his MPs, many of whom are opposed to the legalisation of same-sex marriage, will have a free vote on the bill.
In his comments, Nichols lashed out at Cameron, accusing him of rushing through legislation for which he had no mandate and which was, he believed, "a bit of a sham". "Basically the prime minister has said: 'Where there is love and commitment, then that's all that you need for marriage' … But I think that's very shallow thinking, and it's a shame that these matters have not been given much, much more thought," he said.
Ben Summerskill, chief executive of the gay rights organisation Stonewall, said: "We do think it's very sad that an archbishop should sully the day of the birth of Jesus by making what seem to be such uncharitable observations about other people. Some of us are mindful of Luke 2:14, which reminds us that Christmas Day is a day of peace and goodwill to all men. Perhaps Archbishop Nichols should have spent a little more time in bible study."
In his Christmas Day sermon at Westminster Cathedral, Nichols praised "the love of husband and wife, which is creative of new human life". He added: "Sometimes sexual expression can be without the public bond of the faithfulness of marriage and its ordering to new life."
Nichols's attack comes soon after the Church of England and the Church of Wales claimed they had not been informed of or properly consulted over the government's plans to make them the only religious institutions in the country who would be barred from carrying out same-sex wedding ceremonies. The government has said the step would provide both churches with ironclad defences over their reluctance to hold such ceremonies.
