Bishop of Leeds says Britain has lost its Christianity

Bishop Arthur Roche of Leeds in England is among those attending the World Youth Day celebrations in Madrid and is leading a delegation of young pilgrims from his diocese.
Asked for his impressions about the recent violence and looting by young people that hit many cities across Britain, Bishop Roche says of the riots: "it's the result in no small part of a consumerist society that's lost its sense of values... in fact, it's lost its Christianity." Bishop Roche goes on to say that he believes the young people responsible for the recent violence in Britain are "really very unhappy, disenchanted ... really in need of God."

Referring to the WYD event, Bishop Roche says it's a shame that the BBC and Sky News are not there in Madrid to see a very different picture of young people: "to see people full of joy, great generosity ... in such contrast to what we've seen in Britain recently." He says the WYD pilgrims there in Madrid "have an enormous thirst for the truth" and that "some of the most surprising conversions (to Catholicism) have been experienced with our young because of WYD."

Listen to the full interview with Bishop Roche by Emer McCarthy: