St Mary's Hosts Faith Leadership Debate Featuring Former Irish President

Prof Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland, will speak today alongside Francis Campbell, Vice Chancellor of St Mary's University, Twickenham, at a panel debate commemorating the 50th anniversary of Winston Churchill’s death. The event will also mark the launch of the Faith and Religion Panel Report for the Churchill 21st Century Leadership Programme. The report, written by a panel of leading academics and policy-makers including Francis Campbell, the Von Hugel Institute, Cambridge University Divinity School and the Inter-Faith Programme, Theos, considers the challenges that faith issues present to foreign ministries, diplomats and politicians and considers the importance of religion in contemporary global politics. Francis Campbell said, “Today’s leaders, particularly those in the public square, are failing to harness the harmonising power of faith. They tend to treat religion as a contentious or difficult issue, rather than an opportunity to build relationships based on mutual values. Our panel report recommends that public leaders foster positive relationships with religions rather than exclude them. I look forward to debating these issues with the esteemed panel assembled for the launch of our report.” Others taking part in the debate include Professor John Loughlin, Director of the Von Hügel Institute in St Edmund's College, Cambridge, Jerry White, former Assistant Secretary of State and Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Caroline Wyatt, BBC Religious Affairs Correspondent. The Churchill 21st Century Leadership Programme has been established to explore some of today’s top level strategic issues and their implications for global leadership. It was established mark the 50th anniversary of Churchill’s death and the 75th anniversary of his “finest hour” in 1940.