A senior Church of England bishop says Britain should assert its Christian identity rather than becoming a “multi-faith mishmash.” Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali of Rochester also said Prince Charles was misguided in saying he wanted to be “defender of faiths” rather than “defender of the faith” when he becomes king. Nazir-Ali told the BBC that in the coronation service, the monarch “takes oaths to defend the Christian faith.” He added that “you can’t defend every faith, because there are very serious differences among them.” Bishop Nazir-Ali, who was raised Roman Catholic in Muslim Pakistan, was among several runners-up in 2002 for appointment by Prime Minister Tony Blair to be archbishop of Canterbury and lead the Church of England and international Anglican Communion.

- AP