London, England, Jun 14, 2009 / 17:01 pm
Catholic bishops in Britain have voiced “significant concerns” about a proposed Equality Bill, saying it treats the rights of religious believers as secondary and could force Catholic schools and care homes to remove crucifixes and holy pictures if someone finds them “offensive.”
It has also been suggested the bill could force churches to hire youth ministers who do not support Christian ethics.
The bill, supported by Equality Minister Harriet Harman, penalizes “harassment.” The newspaper The Catholic Herald says this is defined as “unwanted conduct ... with the purpose or effect of violating a person's dignity, or of creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading or offensive environment.”
However, the way this plays out in the legal system is more sinister.
The bishops of England, Wales and Scotland said that the bill’s burden of proof is reversed and would excessively burden Catholics if people complained about any manifestation of religious belief, even on church property.