A Catholic Archbishop has said that Christmas carols should not be rewritten to suit fleeting political and social mores after it emerged that woke individuals had reworked one song to promote LGBT ideology.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who serves as the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, has waded into a debate on re-wording Chrismas carols to suit modern sensibilities within the protestant Church of England, emphasising the timeless quality of the tradition and ritual of Christmas time.
It comes shortly after discussion in the press and on social media on some within the Anglican community re-writing one classic piece from the 17th century to promote feminist and “queer” talking points.
According to a report by The Telegraph, Cardinal Nichols has said that carols should not have their content changed to suit modern politics, telling the UK public that the value in the tradition comes from connecting with something that is largely timeless.
“I think what Christmas does… it tells us the importance of ritual. And ritual helps us to step outside of our own little bubble, connect with something that we have received, inherited, and that we hope to pass on,” the Catholic archbishop reportedly remarked.
“And I think those values of a continuation of musical repertoire, of the ability to sing together, of looking at the rituals that have been fashioned over centuries,” he continued. “And those are probably for me, more important than particular sensitivities which come and go.”
In the modified hymn, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, a carol reportedly dating back to the 1600s drops its focus on the birth of Jesus to hone in on “queer” identity instead.
Where the original spoke of an angel coming to tell a group of shepherds of the birth of Jesus Christ, the new version instead opts to praise women “who by men have been erased”, as well as those who identify as LGBT.
“God rest you, queer and questioning, your anxious hearts be still,” the rework reads. “Believe that you are deeply known and part of God’s good will.”
Speaking on the new variant of the carol, Sam Margrave of the General Synod reportedly remarked that he was “absolutely disgusted” by the changes made to the carol, saying that an “act of worship to our Lord and Saviour is being used to push political ideology”.
Meanwhile, a former vicar decried the changes made to the carol as being “changed to fit with the [Church of England’s] woke, unbiblical agenda”.
“Compare it with the real words,” he said. “All ideas about Christ as saviour have been erased. Triumph over Satan’s power has been erased. And the whole nativity story has been erased.”