Rev. Joseph Devine, a Catholic Bishop in Scotland, took issue last week with gays there aligning themselves with other minority groups. (Photo courtesy of www.rcdom.org)
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Friday, March 21, 2008
EDINBURGH, Scotland — One of Scotland’s most senior Catholic officials has launched an attack on the “gay lobby” in the country, claiming there is a “huge and well-orchestrated conspiracy” against Christian values, the Scotsman, a national Scottish newspaper, reported last week. Rev. Joseph Devine, Bishop of Motherwell and president of the Catholic Education Commission, said gay rights organizations aligned themselves with minority groups, such as Holocaust survivors, to project an “image of a group of people under persecution.” He warned that gay activists — which he called “the opposition” — had mounted “a giant conspiracy” to shape public policy, according to the Scotsman’s report. He singled out the actor Sir Ian McKellen, who was given a recent award for services to gay rights, pointing out that Oscar Wilde was imprisoned only a century ago for homosexual acts. The bishop said he would “not tolerate” the “behavior” of a child struggling to come to terms with his or her homosexuality. His views were attacked by gay rights groups, which branded them “un-Christian” and “deeply out of step” with the views of ordinary Scots, the paper said.
OSLO, Norway (AP) — The Norwegian government proposed a marriage law last week that would give gay couples the same rights as heterosexuals, including church weddings, adoption and assisted pregnancies. The new legislation would replace a 1993 law that granted gays the right to enter civil unions similar to marriage but did not give them other benefits enjoyed by married couples. “This new marriage law is a step forward along the lines of voting rights for all and equality laws,” said Anniken Huitfeldt, minister of children and equality. The measure gives gays the right to a church wedding but does not require any minister or religious organization to perform the ceremony. The proposal also grants the right to assisted pregnancies to lesbians and allows gays to be considered as adoptive parents. It was not clear whether parliament would approve the measure without changes. Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa, minister of local government and transport minister Liv Signe Navarsete said they were against the right to assisted pregnancies but endorsed the rest of the bill. The opposition Christian Democratic Party opposed the measure.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A lesbian organization in Greece said last week it has discovered a loophole in a 26-year-old law that would allow gays to marry legally. The group, OLKE, said a 1982 law legalizing weddings in civil ceremonies refers only to participating “persons,” without specifying gender. Therefore, OLKE said, it will sue municipalities that refuse to marry gay couples. “If the (municipalities) don’t give us the OK, the next step will be legal action,” OLKE spokesperson Evangelia Vlami told the Associated Press. Vlami said the group had informed the Justice Ministry of its intentions, ahead of plans by the ministry to introduce civil partnership legislation later this year granting legal rights to unmarried couples. It was not immediately clear whether gays would be included in the new law. Officials at the Justice Ministry could not immediately be reached for comment. Gays are protected under Greek anti-discrimination laws, but gay groups complain they face widespread discrimination, in public and at work.
MOSCOW — Protestant groups in Moscow last week urged Prosecutor General Yury Chaika to shut down the cartoon channel 2x2 for broadcasting shows they claim promote homosexuality and religious intolerance, according to the St. Petersburg Times, a Russian newspaper. It is the second time in a week that the network, owned by billionaire Vladimir Potanin’s Prof-Media Group, has come under fire for its content, the paper reported. The Consultative Council of the Heads of Protestant Churches in Russia sent a letter to Chaika on March 12, accusing 2x2 of promoting “cruelty, violence, homosexual propaganda, religious hatred and intolerance” by airing cartoons such as “South Park,” said Vitaly Vlasenko, a spokesperson for the group, which unites several Protestant denominations. A spokesperson for the Prosecutor General’s Office would not confirm whether prosecutors had received the letter, the paper said. Last week 2x2 pulled two of its shows — “Happy Tree Friends” and “The Adventures of Big Jeff” — after a receiving a warning from the government media watchdog that the shows promoted “a cult of violence and brutality.” Under Russian law, a second warning letter could result in the loss of the channel’s broadcasting license. Yekaterina Doglosheyeva, head of corporate affairs for Prof-Media, brushed off the criticism from the religious group. “The Federal Culture and Cinematography Agency may be able to control the activities of our channel, but the Protestants cannot,” Doglosheyeva said.
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