Another blow to religious freedom in UK

Another blow to religious freedom in UK

“Falconer refuses to exempt Catholics from new gay laws”

The Roman Catholic Church and other religious bodies cannot be exempted from new laws banning discrimination against gay people, Lord Falconer, the Lord Chancellor, said yesterday.

He resisted attempts by Ruth Kelly, the Communities Secretary, to water down the rules to enable Catholic adoption agencies to turn away same-sex couples.

The Equality Act 2006, which comes into force in April, bans discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services on the basis of sexual orientation.

Miss Kelly, a Catholic and a member of the Opus Dei sect, is under pressure from the Catholic Church to include an exemption for church-run adoption agencies.

Get rid of the old discrimination—against gays—by imposing new discrimination—against Catholics who want to live by their beliefs. Of course, if this becomes law, the answer is simple: Get out of the work being regulated by the government and let the chips fall where they may.

Dr Evan Harris, president of the Liberal Democrat campaign for gay and lesbian equality, said: “The Catholic Church have threatened to stop their adoption work and even close homeless shelters if they are not allowed to discriminate and harass citizens who are gay or lesbian.

“So the Government must call their bluff and refuse public funding or public contracts to such organisations unless they agree to non-discrimination.”

Yeah, all those dastardly Catholics who set up fronts disguised as homeless shelters and adoption agencies so they can harass homosexuals and lesbians. It would serve them right if the bishops said, “Fine, then we’ll shut them down and it will be up to you to provide for all the folks left in need.”

Unfortunately, I wonder if the bishops in the UK have the spine to stand up to such bullying by extreme secularists. St. Edmund Campion, pray for them.

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