Cardinals' sin

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, speaking yesterday in Westminster Cathedral Hall, accused Labour of legislating for intolerance.

In an outspoken attack on equality legislation the Cardinal said "I want to appeal tonight for the freedom to believe and the freedom to serve the common good according to the convictions of our faith. For it is in the nature of who we Christians are to serve society, to be recognised by the sign of love, and to discover for ourselves and lead others to discover the inviolable dignity of every human person."

In the first place it was misleading to say that the Catholic Church teaches about "the inviolable dignity of every human person." It does not. The words were those of a man who summarily dismissed his press aide for being gay. In fact the Catholic Church has a record of persecuting gay men and women, as well as others of whom they disapproved.

So we see that the Catholic Church has a poor record of support for "the inviolable dignity of every human person."

Cardinal Ratzinger, now the Pope, wrote "Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder."

And Ratzinger went on to comment that when homosexual activity is condoned, or when "civil legislation is introduced to protect behavior to which no one has any conceivable right, neither the Church nor society at large should be surprised when other distorted notions and practices gain ground, and irrational and violent reactions increase."

Legislation cannot force Catholics to love gay men and women any more than it can force racists to love all people equally. But it will ensure all people are treated with respect, and that can only be a good thing ... indeed it's something which a fair-mined person should support. If the Cardinal does not support these laws, the public will conclude that it is proof of hypocrisy and intolerance.