EUROPE/SCOTLAND - Catholic Bishop of Paisley calls for action to protect the religious freedom of the Catholic Church in the United Kingdom

Thursday, 22 February 2007

Paisley (Agenzia Fides) - In a Pastoral Letter read out at all Masses in the Diocese of Paisley on Sunday (18 February 2007) Bishop Philip Tartaglia called for action to protect "the religious freedom of the Catholic Church in the United Kingdom. The Bishop said this freedom is threatened by the Sexual Orientation Regulations which should come into force in April (see Fides 24/1/2007) and oblige Catholic Adoption Agencies to consider same sex couples as potential adoptive parents (see Fides 2/2/2007).
The Bishop recalls that Catholic Church agrees that it is wrong to practice unjust discrimination against people on the grounds of sexual orientation. He says that given that no one has the right to be an adoptive parent, Catholic Adoption Agencies base their practice on the Church's faith and teaching that the best place to bring up a child is with a mother and father who are married. Catholic agencies wish to remain free to continue that practice. The Bishop says “regulations which force the Catholic Church and individual Catholics to act against their religious convictions to implement this policy offend against religious freedom and against freedom of conscience” and concludes “I strongly encourage you to write to your Councillors, MPs, MSPs and Members of the House of Lords making the point that regulations deriving from equality legislation are unacceptable if they damage religious freedom and the right of conscience”. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 22/2/2007; righe 19, parole 282)


Share: