Homophobia vote is attempt to legalize gay unions, says church leader

Published: 2006-01-20

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A European Parliament resolution condemning homophobia is a thinly veiled attempt to pressure European countries to grant legal recognition to gay unions, said the secretary of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences. Msgr. Aldo Giordano told Vatican Radio Jan. 19 the Catholic Church opposed discrimination against any person, but the resolution was an attempt to "equate the homosexual experience with the family." The resolution passed Jan. 18 by a vote of 468-149, with 41 abstentions. It called on countries belonging to the European Union and on European institutions to adopt measures to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation. But it also said "unjustified and unreasonable limitations" of the rights of homosexuals "are often hidden behind justifications based on public order, religious freedom and the right to conscientious objection."

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