English Script Request

You are listening to a programme from BBC Radio 4.

Francis Campbell, who is the Vice Chancellor of St Mary's University in London. Good morning, Francis.

Good morning John, and good morning Matthew. In today's world, questions often arise about the role religion plays or does not play in society. Part of that debate centres on the relationship between religion and the state, with some suggesting a sharp separation of the two. Often in such arguments, a sort of 'state-centric solution' to all society's problems can be presented. But healthy democracies always have a good distinction between the role and limits of the state on the one hand, and the freedom of societies on the other. This past weekend, in Rome, we witnessed a fine example - not of a binary separation, but of a partnership approach to tackling a contemporary problem. The Santa Marta conference in human trafficking gathered for its latest annual meeting, bringing together NGOs, faith groups, governments, police forces and researchers, to exchange ideas and monitor progress on tackling modern slavery. It is an area of policy where the UK has taken an international lead, and shown how a partnership between the agencies of the state and civil society work best when they address a problem together. Credit for that has to go to the Prime Minister, Cardinal Nicholls, the current and previous Commissioner of the Met Police, the Home Secretary, the Anti-Slavery Commissioner and countless others.