| International News

In a statement released by the Archdiocese of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor expressed how “deeply disappointed” the Catholic Church is with the Jan. 29 Blair government announcement that no exemption will be made for Catholic adoption agencies in the implementation of the Sexual Orientation Regulations linked to the 2006 Equalities Act.

The regulations, which are set to be in force in April for England, Scotland and Wales, bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the provision of facilities, goods and services, including adoption..

A proposed compromise to the law’s interpretation, now rejected by the Blair government, would allow Catholic agencies to refuse to accept homosexual couples as adoptive parents, though require the referral of them to agencies that would accept them.

“We are, of course, deeply disappointed that no exemption will be granted to our agencies on the grounds of widely held religious conviction and conscience,” said Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor. “We look to the forthcoming parliamentary debate to address some of the fundamental issues centered on the well-being of the child, whose needs must always be put first.”

One week earlier, in a Jan. 22 letter to British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his cabinet, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor of Westminster said that the implementation of Sexual Orientation Regulations in obligating consideration of applications from homosexual couples as potential adoptive parents would require church agencies “to act against the principles of Catholic teaching.”

The prime minister said that he “listened to the strongly held views … of gay-rights groups and the leaders of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches” in deciding to propose a transition period of almost two years before the regulations come fully into force at the end of 2008 for existing adoption agencies.

Acknowledging “the hugely valuable role played in adoption by charities and volunteers, including those inspired by religious faith, and hoping not to lose their expertise and services, Blair stressed the importance of not giving sanction “in our society for discrimination.”

“That is why I support the right of gay couples to apply to adopt like any other couple,” he said in the Downing Street statement. “And that is why there can be no exemptions for faith-based adoption agencies offering publicly-funded services from regulations which prevent discrimination.”

Welcoming the government’s “expressed desire that the experience and excellent work of out agencies is not lost, especially for the benefit of needy children,” Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor said that the almost two-year interim period will be useful in doing a comprehensive individual assessment of the regulations’ impact.

He noted that the British Catholic Church appreciated that government agencies will continue to work with and fund Catholic agencies as they have until that time so they can continue “their vital and sensitive work during this period.”

The cardinal did not note how Catholic agencies would respond after the regulations’ full implementation.

“An important part of our Catholic tradition is to work constructively with the government in mutually respectful cooperation, in which we can act with confidence and integrity in the service of the common good,” he said.

He said that “urgent task” British society now faces is “to reach a new consensus on how best the public role of religious organizations can be safeguarded and their rights upheld.”

In the Jan. 22 letter, Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor said that youth seeking adoption should receive “fair play” from the British government by allowing Catholic Church agencies to receive an exemption from having to place children in the homes of same-sex couples.

“We believe it would be unreasonable, unnecessary and unjust discrimination against Catholics for the government to insist that if they wish to continue to work with local authorities, Catholic adoption agencies must act against the teaching of the church and their own consciences by being obliged in law to provide such a service,” the cardinal said.

Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor said that the Catholic Church “utterly condemns all forms of unjust discrimination, violence, harassment or abuse directed against people who are homosexual,” and teaches the acceptance of gay men and women “with respect, compassion and sensitivity.”

In a Jan. 23 letter to British Prime Minister Blair, Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow, vice president of the Scottish Bishops’ Conference, urged the government to amend the proposed sexual orientation regulations so that Catholic adoption agencies will not be compelled to place children with same-sex couples.

"The Catholic Bishops of Scotland express their support for the position taken by Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor ... regarding the proposed regulations on discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in the provision of goods and services," Archbishop Conti said.

“Implementation of the proposed regulations” to force the church to require consideration of same-sex couples as adoptive parents “would be regarded as a betrayal of this commitment which was accepted in good faith by the Catholic community in Scotland," he said.

Archbishop Conti stressed that the proposed regulations jeopardize the ability of the Scottish Catholic Church adoption and foster agency services “to retain the discretion they have always exercised in favor of the children entrusted to them, which discretion is informed by the moral and social teaching of the Catholic Church."