Edinburgh, UK - The Catholic Church of Scotland is condemning the decision of the Scotish parliament to ban religious leaders from referring to homosexuality in a negative light during the weekly “A Time for Reflection” address.
Parliament passed the measure after Keith Cardinal O’Brien, the Catholic Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, gave a Christmas reflection in which he appeared to indirectly refer to homosexuality as an “aberration.”
Green MSP Patrick Harvie introduced a motion, later adopted by parliament, that banned religious speakers from any reference to homosexuality as a moral wrong.
The revised guidance document for religious leaders presiding at the weekly Reflection reads: “[Contributions] will be consistent with the principle of equal opportunities for all and should not include remarks or comments which are discriminatory.”
A spokesman for the Archdiocese said the new rules make Parliament seem ‘petty and mean spirited. “Discrimination is in the ear of the beholder,” he said. “If MSPs don’t want to be questioned or challenged, it calls into question the whole purpose of the slot. Maybe they should consider scrapping it altogether if they are not willing to entertain freedom of expression.”