London, England - A senior Church of England bishop said 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 is king.
In the coronation service, the monarch "takes oaths to defend the Christian faith," the bishop told BBC radio May 27.
"If by saying that he meant that he wanted to uphold the freedom of people of every faith, then I have no quarrel with that," the bishop said. "But you can't defend every faith, because there are very serious differences among them."
Nazir-Ali said respect for Christian roots doesn't mean "we don't welcome other people."
"The basis for British society is Christian, constitutionally. Many of its institutions are based on Christian ideas," he said. "All our values come ultimately from the Bible.
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.
Though more than 70 percent of Britons consider themselves Christian, less than 10 percent attend church regularly.