The Debate: The Catholic church is a force for good in the world.
Speakers for the motion: Archbishop John Onaiyekan, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria; Rt Hon Anne Widdecombe MP, Conservative MP and Catholic convert.
Speakers agains the motion: Christopher Hitchens, Essayist, polemicist and author of God is Not Great and The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice; Stephen Fry, Actor, author, comedian and television presenter.
The Forecast: The Bishop is in tip-top condition and he's an expert in sharia law in Nigeria, while Ms Widdecombe is a real unholy terror — fearsome, formidable and ferocious. Expect a real bludgeoning with blood on the canvas, Hitch on the ropes, Fry in the pan, and the pair of them screaming "God help us! God save us!" by the end of Round 5. A bit like this next next scene, in fact.
“The enemies of intolerance cannot be tolerant." • "If it is an offense to justice to hold people who may have been victims of mistaken identity or of vendettas by other factions, then it is also an offense to justice to release psychopathic killers who believe that they have divine permission to throw acid in the faces of girls who want to attend school." • "Don't be such a lesbian!
”
