THE Archbishop of York has launched an impassioned defence of Christianity in the face of what he described as “a systematic erosion” of the majority faith in public life by an “illiberal atheism”.

John Sentamu accused Whitehall of abandoning traditional Christmas cards in favour of versions carrying “Season’s Greetings” as part of an assault on the majority faith.

The country’s first black archbishop singled out Birmingham city council, which in 1998 renamed the Christmas holiday period Winterval; Torbay for removing a cross from a crematorium and Plymouth for ending free parking on Sunday mornings.

The bishop, who is second in the hierarchy of the Church of England, also criticised the Royal Mail for failing to feature Jesus on this year’s Christmas stamps. However, several of the public bodies he named responded yesterday by dismissing his comments as inaccurate and out of date.

Sentamu, 57, speaking to church lay readers in Newcastle, said: “In the eight years since Winterval there have been many other instances where Christianity is being systematically eroded from public view. More often than not [this is done] in the fear of offending those who would not be offended, or because of the mistaken belief that Christianity has no role to play in the public arena.

“This systematic erosion is subtle . . . Examples can be seen all over officialdom: the change in official government cards from ‘Happy Christmas’ to ‘Season’s Greetings’.”

Referring to the recent decision in Plymouth to remove free parking on Sundays, allegedly on the grounds that it unfairly favoured Christians, he added: “The people of Plymouth need to make a robust but peaceful response.”

However, a Downing Street spokesman said yesterday: “The archbishop is entitled to his views. The prime minister always sends Christmas cards with the message ‘With best wishes for Christmas and the New Year’. The only exemption is for the leaders of the Jewish faith, for example, and non-Christian countries.”

Meanwhile, the term Winterval has been dropped by Birmingham city council.

Alan Faulkner, the councillor in charge of crematorium services at Torbay when the cross was removed last year, said it had been returned to “where it should be”.

According to Tudor Evans, leader of Plymouth council, the decision to impose car parking charges for those attending Sunday services was to boost revenues, and was not motivated by religious considerations.

The Royal Mail has defended its decision to issue Christmas stamps without nativity scenes by saying themes were rotated.

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