Get lost ye meddling chaps! Cardinal criticizes “woke” rephrasing of Christmas carols

The most senior Roman Catholic clergyman in Britain has criticized the ‘woke’ rewriting of Christmas carols.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols stated that conserving traditional tunes was more vital than “changing sensibilities.”

His remarks came after a Church of England carol service that featured a “inclusive” rendition of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen stirred anger.

The modified verses of the 17th-century hymn incorporated the lines “God rest you, gay and questioning” and “God rest you, women who have been erased by men.”

Cardinal Vincent Nichols has criticized the “woke” rephrasing of Christmas carols.

The rendition, composed by an American clergyman, was performed on Monday during the Mayor of Charnwood’s carol service at All Saints with Holy Trinity Church in Loughborough, Leicestershire.

Yesterday, when asked about the incident, the Archbishop of Westminster responded, “Christmas teaches us the significance of ritual.”

Ritual allows us to leave our own small bubble and connect with something we have received, inherited, and wish to pass on. I believe that these values – the continuation of musical repertory, the capacity to sing together, and the examination of rituals that have been developed over centuries – are perhaps more significant than transient sensibilities.

Cardinal Nichols also asserted that there was “no scarcity” of churchgoers, despite the fact that less than half of the population of England and Wales now identifies as Christian, according to Census figures.

During the pandemic, he told Times Radio that people were “coming back” to the Church, adding, “There’s no scarcity of that instinct for faith, which is reconnecting with church services, especially in the Catholic Church.”