WATCH: Woman named as Archbishop of Canterbury for the first time in history
GB NEWS
By Dan McDonald,
Published: 12/11/2025
Fears are rising that Christianity is being exploited to subvert 'our British open-heartedness and tolerance'
The next Archbishop of Canterbury has urged churches not to be anxious about baptising illegal migrants, despite growing concerns that some are exploiting Christianity to avoid being deported.
Dame Sarah Mullally said that migrants may be waiting until they reach Britain to declare their faith due to the persecution millions of Christians face globally.
The first female Archbishop made the comments as she voiced concern over a proposal in Parliament to reject asylum claims based on religious persecution when migrants convert after arriving in the UK.
Some asylum seekers are said to be exploiting the Christian faith to subvert the system.
Dame Sarah Mullally said that migrants may be waiting until they reach Britain to declare their faith due to persecution
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PASpeaking in the House of Lords during the report stage of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, Dame Sarah said that thousands of Christians have been killed worldwide for their faith.
Th senior Anglican cleric said: “The data on persecution of Christians makes it clear that people are willing and indeed do die for their Christian faith today.
"We should tread extremely carefully when legislating on such profound matters."
She told peers: “A public declaration of faith is an important moment in that process.
"But if that declaration may cost you your life or the lives of those that you love, then a person may think very carefully about when and where they make it.
“What better evidence, in many ways, of fear of religious persecution in a country of origin than that a person might wait until they were in the UK to publicly declare their faith.
“Clergy are not naive. We train them to do this, to discern the best they can through teaching, through discussion, through reflection, observation and prayer, whether a person, whoever they are, is ready for a public confession of faith through baptism.
“Churches ought not to feel anxious about supporting and baptising asylum seekers if, to their best knowledge, the clergy are confident that there is a sincere desire for conversion, a commitment to Jesus Christ and to discipleship."
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Baroness Maclean of Redditch said that Christianity was being exploited to subvert 'British tolerance'
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UK PARLIAMENT
However, former Conservative Home Office Minister Baroness Maclean of Redditch said Christianity was being exploited to subvert "our British open-heartedness and tolerance".
She told the House of Lords: “I am afraid I can find no evidence of anyone converting to Islam in order to avoid deportation or to lodge an asylum claim. It seems to me it’s always Christianity that is used in this way.
“While as Christians, we are called to follow the teachings of Jesus, as policymakers, we must be pragmatic and work with our knowledge of human nature, which is not perfect. There is evil in people’s hearts.
“With humility we must recognise this and pray for forgiveness, but we must also open our eyes and be honest that incentives are strongly aligned for illegal migrants to lie and cheat using Christian conversion and possibly other religious conversions too.
Dame Sarah became the first woman to hold the position of Bishop of London in 2018 – and will soon become the first female Archbishop of Canterbury
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PADame Sarah will officially become the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury at a ceremony in Canterbury Cathedral in January.
In 2018, she became the first woman to hold the position of Bishop of London, the third most senior position in the Church of England.
The senior Anglican cleric has been described as a "theological liberal" and slammed the previous Conservative government over the Rwanda scheme.
She signed a letter alongside several bishops, saying that the policy “should shame us as a nation”.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
The first female Archbishop made the comments as she voiced concern over a proposal in Parliament to reject asylum claims based on religious persecution when migrants convert after arriving in the UK.
Some asylum seekers are said to be exploiting the Christian faith to subvert the system.
Dame Sarah Mullally said that migrants may be waiting until they reach Britain to declare their faith due to persecution
Speaking in the House of Lords during the report stage of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, Dame Sarah said that thousands of Christians have been killed worldwide for their faith.
Th senior Anglican cleric said: “The data on persecution of Christians makes it clear that people are willing and indeed do die for their Christian faith today.
"We should tread extremely carefully when legislating on such profound matters."
She told peers: “A public declaration of faith is an important moment in that process.
"But if that declaration may cost you your life or the lives of those that you love, then a person may think very carefully about when and where they make it.
“What better evidence, in many ways, of fear of religious persecution in a country of origin than that a person might wait until they were in the UK to publicly declare their faith.
“Clergy are not naive. We train them to do this, to discern the best they can through teaching, through discussion, through reflection, observation and prayer, whether a person, whoever they are, is ready for a public confession of faith through baptism.
“Churches ought not to feel anxious about supporting and baptising asylum seekers if, to their best knowledge, the clergy are confident that there is a sincere desire for conversion, a commitment to Jesus Christ and to discipleship."
Baroness Maclean of Redditch said that Christianity was being exploited to subvert 'British tolerance'
UK PARLIAMENT
However, former Conservative Home Office Minister Baroness Maclean of Redditch said Christianity was being exploited to subvert "our British open-heartedness and tolerance".
She told the House of Lords: “I am afraid I can find no evidence of anyone converting to Islam in order to avoid deportation or to lodge an asylum claim. It seems to me it’s always Christianity that is used in this way.
“While as Christians, we are called to follow the teachings of Jesus, as policymakers, we must be pragmatic and work with our knowledge of human nature, which is not perfect. There is evil in people’s hearts.
“With humility we must recognise this and pray for forgiveness, but we must also open our eyes and be honest that incentives are strongly aligned for illegal migrants to lie and cheat using Christian conversion and possibly other religious conversions too.
Dame Sarah became the first woman to hold the position of Bishop of London in 2018 – and will soon become the first female Archbishop of Canterbury
Dame Sarah will officially become the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury at a ceremony in Canterbury Cathedral in January.
In 2018, she became the first woman to hold the position of Bishop of London, the third most senior position in the Church of England.
The senior Anglican cleric has been described as a "theological liberal" and slammed the previous Conservative government over the Rwanda scheme.
She signed a letter alongside several bishops, saying that the policy “should shame us as a nation”.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter