Boris Johnson, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, criticized church leaders, stating that an unaddressed spiritual void has contributed to rising obesity rates. Johnson suggested that religious leaders are too focused on issues like Brexit rather than addressing the deeper spiritual needs of their congregants.
Speaking as part of a national report on obesity, Johnson did not hold back, blaming the Church of England for failing to fulfill its spiritual role, leading many to turn to food for solace.
“You talk about living bread of spiritual sustenance, well, it’s not being provided by the blooming church, I can tell you that much,” Johnson said in a Q&A about the obesity crisis.
He referred to the United Kingdom as a “land of fatsoes,” pointing fingers at the clergy for contributing indirectly to a growing public health issue.
Johnson’s critique also took aim at the modern sedentary lifestyle, particularly among young people.
“When I was a kid, it was very rare for there to be a fatso in the class,” Johnson said. “Now they’re all fatsoes, and I’d be shot for saying they’re fatsoes, but that’s the truth,” he added, attributing much of this shift to children “sitting on screens and being told that it’s all too dangerous to go outside.”
He noted that older people, too, have become increasingly sedentary due to technology.
Johnson said the church should address these societal problems, specifically calling out Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury.
“Instead of the Archbishop of Canterbury balling on about slavery reparations, he should ask himself why people in this country are so bloody fat.”
Welby recently announced his resignation following a report that he had inadequately responded to a sexual abuse case brought to his attention over a decade ago.
Johnson’s statements did not elicit a direct response from the CofE, with a spokesperson confirming that Welby had no comment on Johnson’s criticisms, the New York Post said.
Johnson said the clergy should aim to fill “what is obviously an aching spiritual void in people’s lives, that drives them to gorge themselves.” The implication, he said, is that without spiritual fulfillment, people turn to physical means, like food, to compensate for the lack.
Welby will leave office on Jan. 6, 2025. His son, Tim Welby, recently defended his father’s decision to step down. He noted that “so many people were calling for his resignation” that his father’s position had become “untenable,” according to The Mirror.
He said his father was “really, really cross that it didn’t occur to him to triple check” whether the abuse had been reported to the authorities. “The frustrating thing is I don’t think it ever occurred to him that it hadn’t been reported to the police,” he was quoted as saying.
