This article comes from Spero Forum.
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British secularists upset about Pope Benedict Christmas address on BBC
Pope Benedict XVI will deliver the Thought For The Day on BBC Radio on the morning of December 24,Christmas Eve. The Pope recorded the Thought For The Day in Rome today.
Gwyneth Williams of BBC said "I'm delighted Pope Benedict is sharing his Christmas message with the Radio 4 audience."
"It's significant that the Pope has chosen Thought For The Day to give his first personally scripted broadcast - and what better time to do so than on the eve of the biggest celebration on the Christian calendar."
Thought For The Day is broadcast on the BBC program during the morning hours from Monday to Saturday. It offers approximately three minutes of personal reflection from faith leaders and believers of a variety of religious denominations.
BBC Director-General Mark Thompson, a Catholic, is understood to have approached Vatican officials about a contribution from the Pope ahead of his state visit.
The National Secular Society has expressed anger over the broadcast. NSS president Terry Sanderson said in a statement, "After the overkill from the BBC during the Pope's visit, this indicates the corporation's obsession with religion, whereas the nation is largely indifferent to it."
Speroforum editor Martin Barillas is a former US diplomat, who also worked as a democracy advocate and election observer in Latin America. He is also a freelance translator.
