English bishops fear 'equality bill' could penalize Church for all-male priesthood
December 10, 2009
The Catholic bishops of England and Wales have warned members of Parliament that a pending “equality bill” could create a crisis for the Catholic Church, because the legislation appears to demand equal opportunity for women and homosexuals to become priests. The legislation would exempt the Church if priests could be shown to spend most of their time either leading acts of worship or teaching Catholic doctrine. Otherwise, priests would be considered “employees,” and covered by the terms of the act, which prohibits discrimination against women, homosexuals, and others. The bishops, in a briefing, said that the bill could make it “unlawful to require a Catholic priest to be male, unmarried, or not in a civil partnership.”
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Posted by: Oliver Plunkett -
Dec. 10, 2009 6:14 PM ET USA
Where's the separation of Church and State the non-religious cry out for? We went through this before when we were hounded, imprisoned and murdered during the penal days. Bring it on.
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Posted by: -
Dec. 10, 2009 5:34 PM ET USA
You can bet this evil will cross the Atlantic.
