Homosexuality
Limits on religious freedom in England
By Catholic Insight Staff

Hardcopy Issue Date: October 2006
Online Publication Date: Sep 21, 2007, 21:04

Catholic Insight has this year published several items on attacks on religious freedom in Britain, attacks of which Catholics have become very aware. (See “Coercion of Christians in Britain,” Paula Adamick, C.I., March 2007, p.12; “Religious Freedom under attack”, Rory Leishmann, C.I. May, 2007. pp.10. Also News in Brief, “Equality for some = restriction for others,” May, 2007, p.22-23). The principal tools in the anti-faith agenda of Britain’s parliament last year were the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation Regulations) and the Charities Act.

As noted, one particular point of concern for Catholics was the effect of the Equality Act on faith-based schools. Will they be required to “modify” their curricula and not teach Christian sexual morality as “objectively true”? Not at all, say the legislation guidelines: “If a faith school teaches that the Christian and Muslim faiths decree that same-sex sexual activity is a sin, then the school will not be acting unlawfully.”

Of course, the Acts go on to say schools cannot discriminate against homosexual students. And Education Secretary Allan Johnson, a prime mover behind the Equality Act, says schools should not so describe such activities, adding, “I don’t want this hounding of people on the basis of their sexual orientation.” (The Tablet, June 9, 2007). Whom do we believe?

Meantime, Catholics of the Archdiocese of Liverpool have been scandalized to learn that Charles Coyne, headmaster of St. Cecilia’s School, had entered a homosexual civil union. The expectations of the parents that their children should be in the charge of a person who observes Church teaching appears to count for nothing. Archdiocesan officials sought legal advice and found that lawyers, typically enough, said nothing could be done, as British employment law forbids discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation (LifeSite News, Aug. 13, 2007).

More bad news. A book on Catholic social justice recently published under the auspices of the English bishops’ conference attacks pro-lifers and the traditional family, and through them, the Pope. (LifeSite News, Aug. 10, 2007). If the conference has been hijacked by a left-wing element, it should not be surprising that it fails to assert itself forcibly in the Coyne case.

In a general move, which affects the total population, Britain’s drive towards increasing state interference continues with its plan to implement a national biometric identity card program. The rationale underlying this scheme is to fight crime and terrorism, as if the security cameras now in every public and workplace were not enough. ID cards were last used in Britain at a time of real national crisis — World War II. The scheme is expected to cost in excess of £5.7 billion.

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