Rome, Italy, Dec 2, 2008 / 16:40 pm
A proposed EU declaration which would condemn “discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity” has been criticized by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, who heads the Holy See’s permanent observer mission to the United Nations. Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi agreed, saying it could lead to discrimination against Christians.
The draft declaration was drawn up by France, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency. All countries of the EU have signed the document, the Times Online reports.
The declaration is planned to be submitted at the U.N. General Assembly on December 10, the sixtieth anniversary of the U.N. declaration of human rights.
The declaration calls upon governments to “de-criminalize homosexuality,” in an apparent reference to anti-sodomy laws.