Dr Michael Nazir Ali at Wrekin College. Dr Michael Nazir Ali with Pat Fairclough, chairman of the Literacy festival.

Hundreds of people packed a college hall as a month-long Shropshire literary festival was launched with a talk by a controversial bishop.

Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, who resigned as Bishop of Rochester earlier this year, captured the audience with his look at society and religions in the past, present and future.

He spoke for just over an hour using some of his own experiences to describe his thoughts on Islam, Christianity and Judaism. The Right Reverend Nazir-Ali said: “I personally think that the Church of England’s role in Britain is becoming less and less important.

“There are now in Government terms two established faith groups – Muslims and black-led churches.”

The 60-year-old, who grew up in Pakistan, also revealed how he had always wanted to see The Wrekin after reading about it in an essay at school and staying at All Saints Church over the weekend he now had a view of it.

Pat Fairclough, chairman of the literary festival committee, told Dr Nazir-Ali, after his talk: “Thank you so much for coming and opening our literary festival with what I can only say was an enormously measured, intelligent approach to a very controversial subject.”

She said before the talk began that about 400 tickets had been given away and said: “It’s a very good house.

“What we’re trying to do in the committee is to invite as many community groups to enjoy our programme as we possibly can and this year it was Churches Together that approached us and said we have got the vicar of All Saints going to the Synod and if he could get you a well-known churchman.

“We’re delighted that we got Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali.”

Wellington mayor Barry Tillotson said: “It is great people can come to cultural events they probably usually would not see.”

Refreshments were provided by the Eat and Enjoy Group from the School of Life Long Learning foundations studies at Telford College.

By Lisa Rowley