British cardinal: Catholics must nurture dialogue with atheists

Published: 2008-05-09

LONDON (CNS) -- Catholics must seek to nurture understanding and dialogue between Christians and atheists, a British cardinal said. Addressing the rise of aggressive secularism in Britain, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor of Westminster, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, argued that God was often misrepresented by prominent atheists such as Richard Dawkins, author of the 2006 best-seller "The God Delusion." In reality, the cardinal said, there was a persistent element of doubt in the convictions of both Christians and atheists that "could become the basis for an open dialogue. The line dividing faith from unbelief passes through the heart of each of us," Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor said in a May 8 lecture, "Faith in Britain Today." "I would want to encourage people of faith to regard those without faith with deep esteem because the hidden God is active in their lives as well as in the lives of those who believe," he said.

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