COMMENTARY: Archbishop of Canterbury Should Stay Out of Politics

Last week, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, was extremely critical of the recent economic, criminal justice, and healthcare reforms proposed by British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Williams made his critical attack on the government in The New Statesman weekly journal's June 9th edition. Among his criticisms, he said Britain's coalition government is forcing through "radical policies for which no one voted."

We believe that Williams -- by his critical statements of the government -- has crossed the line of separation of church and state.

Moreover, the Archbishop of Canterbury -- the spiritual leader of more than 80 million members of the worldwide Anglican community -- has more than enough ecclesiastical problems on which he must concentrate and try to resolve.

Among these problems are the acceptance of gay clergy, women clergy, and other radical and un-Christian policies that have disgraced the Anglican Church in recent years.

The fact is that many Anglicans (called Episcopalians in the United States) became so disgusted with these radical changes that they abandoned the Anglican Church altogether. In fact, Pope Benedict XVI -- realizing the discontent of a plethora of Anglicans -- eased the process by which Anglicans could convert to Roman Catholicism in 2009. Thousands of Anglicans have converted to Catholicism during the past few years, and thousands more are expected to do so in the next few years.

So just as the Archbishop of Canterbury would consider it improper for Prime Minister Cameron to criticize the Anglican Church for having all of these liabilities, it is improper for the Archbishop of Canterbury to criticize the British government for its political preferences.

It is best for the people of England, then, if the Archbishop of Canterbury does not address political matters, and the prime minister does not address religious matters.

When combined, politics and religion tend to develop into a combustible reaction with long-term negative effects.

Indeed, abiding by the separation of church and state in England will result in a harmonious win-win situation for its people.