Christianity has almost been vanquished in Britain, according to the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.
The cardinal, who is leader of 4.1 million Roman Catholics in England and Wales, also warned priests against "apathy" and "negligence" over child abuse, the Timesreported.
He told a conference in Leeds: "It does seem in our countries in Britain today, especially in England and Wales, that Christianity, as a sort of backdrop to people's lives and moral decisions - and to the Government, the social life of the country - has now almost been vanquished".
"There is indifference to Christian values and to the Church among many young people and, indeed, not only the young," he said.
"If you couple that with the sketch of the culture in which we live, you see quite a demoralised society, one where the only good is what I want, the only rights are my own and the only life with any meaning or value is the life I want for myself".
On child abuse, the cardinal said: "All I want to say about this is quite clear and simple - I do not try to make excuses for the past.
"Yet we must recognise the depth and the extent of the damage done to the Church and its mission in these cases".
He said priests and especially bishops had not been sufficiently aware of the "insidious" and "pathological" nature of child abuse and had not treated all allegations with the seriousness they merited.
PA