POLITICAL correctness by "illiberal atheists" only ends up "offending everyone", the Archbishop of York has warned.

Dr John Sentamu slammed attempts to rename Christmas to Winterval, and hit out at the "systematic erosion" of Christianity from public view.

The Archbishop said similar cases of Wintervalitis from Government officials and public bodies acting "under the cloak of secularism" were offensive.

He said: "Examples can be seen all over officialdom - the change in official Government cards from Happy Christmas to Seasons Greetings, the change to the asking for a first name' instead of a Christian name'."

Referring to attempts by Birmingham City Council in 1998 to promote Winterval rather than Christmas, Dr Sentamu hit out at "the slow chipping away at the foundational heritage that gave birth to those values we all share".

Speaking at a gala dinner in Newcastle, the Archbishop said: "Christianity is being systematically eroded from public view - more often than not in the fear of offending those who would not be offended in the least or because of the mistaken belief that Christianity has no role to play in the public arena."

The Archbishop also defended the right of the Christian church to intervene in the political and economic life of the country. He said: "Faith should be seen and should be heard in public. Not oppressively, not dictatorially, not so that we ram it down peoples' throats. But, in the words of a book review I read recently, so that people understand that religion can be sanely, sensibly and patiently defended with both courage and courtesy'."

He called on Christians to become more involved in political decision-making, in order to promote Christian principles and ethics in society.

He said: "There is no hope of establishing a more Christian social order except through the labour and sacrifice of those in whom the Spirit of Christ is active, and that the first necessity for progress is more and better Christians taking full responsibility as citizens for the political, social and economic system under which they and their companions live."