AFTER the dust has settled at Number 10 Downing Street, there’s time to consider what is the legacy of Boris Johnson – Britain’s first Catholic Prime Minister, now caretaker PM until a new leader is announced on September 5.
Baptised as an infant into the Catholic faith of his mother, Charlotte Johnson Wahl, young Boris later became an Anglican while at Eton and was confirmed into the Church of England.
Little is known of Johnson’s faith journey in the years that followed – he was not a churchgoing man – and no major questions about faith were asked when he became Prime Minister in 2019.
But his faith came under the spotlight in May last year when Johnson married his long-time girlfriend Carrie Symonds at Westminster Cathedral, the seat of English Catholicism.
The Catholic Diocese of Westminster then declared that Johnson and his wife were both baptised Catholics and parishioners of Westminster Cathedral.
Carrie Symonds is Johnson’s third wife, but they were allowed to wed in the Church because Johnson’s first two weddings were civil and were therefore not recognised as valid under canon law.
The couple gave their baby son Wilfred a Catholic baptism in September last year.
According to The Tablet’s Rome correspondent, Christopher Lamb, Boris Johnson is Britain’s first Catholic prime minister since laws were changed barring Catholics from the role.
After hundreds of years of post-Reformation discrimination, Catholics have only slowly moved into positions of authority in recent decades.
So, what of Boris Johnsons legacy?
Mr Lamb, who is in Australia on a speaking tour and covered last week’s Plenary Council assembly in Sydney, said the caretaker PM has not been a good Catholic role model.
“I think the problem of the legacy is, first of all, Brexit, which was not something in line with Catholic Social Teaching, not in line with the principles of solidarity, and good neighbourliness,” Mr Lamb said.
“And Brexit is something that he led.
“Also, there’s a problem because Boris Johnson was married in Westminster Cathedral. And so, there’s a kind of association with the Church, which is perhaps is a perception that the Church doesn’t really want to have because Boris has been a prime minister who has led a kind of nationalist, populist charge in Britain.
“We’ve seen damage to the civic institutions through his leadership, he has divided the country and really, it’s a very, very poor legacy.
“I hope the country can overcome the divisions that have been left during his time.”
Christopher Lamb said Boris Johnson is a curious figure, charming and funny to meet and that is why he has been so successful as a politician – because he can relate to people.
“But when you look at what has happened during his time in office you see the disregard for international law, the clear dishonesty over important matters, dishonesty to parliament… this is a very bad legacy,” he said.
On the posi.tive side, Mr Lamb said Boris Johnson had probably broken new ground for Catholics aspiring to leadership
“Perhaps it symbolises that to be Catholic in high office is no longer a problem,” he said.
“Despite all the chaos and the problems and the faults, he has represented a kind of breakthrough moment for Catholics in the UK, that there can be a Catholic prime minister, even though his own adherence to the Catholic faith seems lukewarm at best.”
Boris Johnson never visited the Vatican, either in his time as foreign secretary or as prime minister, in fact no British leader since Gordon Brown has made a visit to the Holy See.
