Jim Boulden
CNN London Correspondent | Bio

"Bank robbers and asset strippers." That's what the Archbishop of York John Sentamu called short sellers (those who profit from falling share prices) during a speech in London's financial district earlier in the week.

Some might argue the financial markets have been to hell and back and that many who worship money are paying the price...certainly the Church of England's top two leaders are questioning the morality of those behind it all.

Sentamu's boss, the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams wrote banks now need to pay the piper with stronger regulation. He even said Karl Marx was correct about a few things when it comes to "unbridled capitalism".

Why are Britain's clergy sticking their noses into the markets? They feel a $700bn dollar bailout of the U-S financial sector is in the works, but only a fraction of that is needed to fight child poverty, and it is not forthcoming.

The Church of England often likes to play the role of the nation's conscience. Though few people here actually step into a church or any other house of worship, the church does take vocal stands on things like the Iraq War, the growing gap between rich and poor and the problem of household debt.

By attacking short sellers and those who created this mess, church leaders say they want it known that the financial crisis has now unleashed a "risk to social stability."

Of course this is the same Church of England which lost millions of dollars in the property market during the house price crash of the late 1980's. It invested in property and got it wrong. Will be interesting to see how its portfolio is doing this time around.