Dean of Blackburn hits out at lack of religious Xmas stamps

[johnnyp]

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/ne ... as_stamps/
Dean of Blackburn hits out at lack of religious Christmas stamps
10:23pm Tuesday 2nd December 2008

By Camilla Sutcliffe »

BOSSES at Blackburn Cathedral have slammed the lack of religous-themed stamps from the Royal Mail this Christmas.

The Dean of Blackburn, the Very Rev Christopher Armstrong, backed by Christian and Muslim colleagues, urged dissatisfied customers to take their protests to Parliament.

The Royal Mail has produced six non-religious stamps showing pantomine figures.

But the firm has only made two religious Christmas stamps, which are re-issues of last year’s products, and these were only issued after complaints.

The Dean was supporting a Christian-Muslim protest against ‘secular’ Christmas stamps made jointly by Canon Chris Chivers, Blackburn Cathedral’s Canon Chancellor and Anjum Anwar, the Cathedral’s Dialogue Development Officer.

Ms Anwar is the only Muslim in the world to be on a Cathedral staff.

They had condemned as “utterly demeaning” the “free market choice” of being offered Christian or secular stamps by the Royal Mail for Christmas.

In a letter they said: “If we are to have Christmas stamps at all, let them be Christian.

“But if for some mindlessly secularist reason we must have a choice, then let there be stamps of both sorts, in equal number.”

The Cathedral colleagues claimed the Royal Mail only intended to issue secular ‘pantomime dame’ sets of stamps before protests were made.

The Dean claimed Royal Mail staff would only sell religious stamps if something specifically asked for them.

Very Rev Armstrong said: “Please write to your local MP and ask him/her to establish who made the set of decisions that led to this year’s secular-religious issue of Christmas seasonal stamps.

”And please ask your MP to find out who is to be held publicly accountable for the lack of communication around the existence of a choice.”

He said that customers should also point out to the Post Office that religious stamps were not available to cover the costs of postage to Europe.

A spokesman for Royal Mail said the two Madonna and child stamps have been available since November 4 along with a ‘Pantomime’ series.

He said the Royal Mail has printed tens of millions of both sets of stamps.