In the UK, the Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols has voiced his concern about
the effects economic cutbacks are having on the most vulnerable in society. In
a speech Wednesday to parliamentarians he highlighted the importance of conversation
between those who make the decisions in Parliament and those who witness their effects. His
address comes at a time when a number of Church run groups have expressed anxiety
about a Welfare Reform Bill going through parliament. “One of the aspects of the
Welfare Reform Bill that we are particularly concerned about is a proposed cap on
the benefits that a household can claim, and we are worried about that because it
doesn’t take into account the varied circumstances that households face”, says Liam
Allmark, Public Policy and Public Affairs Officer with Caritas Social Action Network
which is the social action agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. He
told Lydia O’Kane that Archbishop Nichols was “stressing the need for the government
to take account of the real situations facing the poorest and most vulnerable people".
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