Bishop urges politicians to back marriage to halt 'near catastrophic decline'

The Rev Mark Davies, Shrewsbury's Catholic Bishop, made the comments following the annual diocesan mass in celebration of marriage – which took place in Chester.

At the mass he voiced his belief that the “single most important factor” in the flourishing of children was the stability of the relationship of their parents.

Addressing a congregation which was celebrating a collective 1,970 years of marriage, the bishop said marriage has been 'diminished' in recent years to one of many "lifestyle choices" instead of being recognised as the "bedrock" of society.

The bishop voiced his belief that the harm caused by family breakdown must lead “our elected representatives to have the courage and responsibility to recognise the central place of marriage in securing the good of society and of new generations."

He told the congregation in Chester on Saturday, June 8, that the faithful would be right to expect candidates seeking their votes to take the place of marriage seriously.

He said: “Research indicates that the single most important factor in a child’s flourishing is the stable relationship of their parents and while this stability is the norm when parents are married, it is the exception when they are not.

"Recent surveys also indicate most young people in 21st Century Britain still aspire to the enduring faithfulness of marriage, even as we suffer one of the highest rates of family breakdown anywhere in Europe and witness the institution of marriage in near-catastrophic decline.

"Sadly, in public life and policy we have seen a parallel diminishment of the place of marriage, as if it were merely a lifestyle choice rather than the bedrock on which the well-being of the individual and society is bound up.

"Amid the many choices and challenges faced at a General Election, we cannot hope for families and society to flourish if marriage does not flourish.

"And while we cannot expect a generation of politicians to resolve so great a crisis, we should expect our elected representatives to have the courage and responsibility to recognise the central place of marriage in securing the good of society and of new generations.”

The remarks by Bishop Davies in St Columba’s Church came as the Marriage Foundation, a charity launched in 2012 in response to the epidemic levels of family breakdown, revealed that it has been more than a decade since any cabinet minister has made a speech that included the importance of marriage.

The charity urged political parties to “champion marriage, make it attractive for couples to marry, and turn back the tide of family breakdown”.