The Archbishop of Wales praised the charity St John Wales for being “unashamedly Christian” at a service to install the charity’s new prior today (Sat May 14).
Dr Barry Morgan said the charity, while not restricted to Christians in its membership or in those it helped, refused to shy away from its Christian roots in, what some see, as a secular society.
He was speaking at a service at Llandaff Cathedral at which the Duke of Gloucester installed Dan Clayton-Jones as the new prior, as well as 40 new members of the Order of St John, including BBC broadcaster Roy Noble.
The Archbishop said, “St John was founded on Christian principles and it is not ashamed to say so at a time when there are people who believe that Christianity ought to have nothing to say about any public issue, but ought to be restricted to what individuals do in private.
“For them, Christian faith and practice ought not to impinge on any aspect of public life but be reserved for what a person does with his leisure time. They argue that we live in a totally secular state and that any form of religious belief is outmoded and ought not to influence any public policy. Thank God then that you are willing to stress your Christian roots and that you are not ashamed of your Christian principles. Secularists tend to forget that the cultural and social values of this country were and are shaped by the Christian Gospel and that Gospel does not seek to eliminate but tolerate difference.”
He added that real happiness is found when we help other people. He said, “Voluntary organisations such as St John remind us in a very tangible way that serving our fellow human beings is the way to true happiness and fulfilment.”
