Church seeks adoption assurances

Gay couples are allowed to adopt in Scotland

The Catholic Church in Scotland has called for reassurances from ministers over changes in equality law which could affect its adoption agencies.

The Scottish Parliament passed a bill in December allowing same-sex adoption.

However, ministers agreed that faith adoption agencies could continue to set criteria blocking gay couples.

That could fall foul of the Equality Act currently being debated by MPs but supporters of gay rights have supported the change in the law.

Prime Minister Tony Blair has promised a decision on the "sensitive and difficult issue" next week and said there could be a Commons vote.

Senior UK Government members have insisted that allowing Catholic adoption agencies to exclude gay couples amounts to discrimination.

'A betrayal'

If passed, the bill would allow same-sex couples to sue for discrimination if they are barred.

Earlier this week, the Archbishop of Glasgow wrote to the prime minister and Scotland's first minister saying new measures would be "a betrayal" of previous commitments.

The church in Scotland has two adoption agencies.

Spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland Peter Kearney said: "We sincerely hope that they will be able to follow through on the assurances that we have been given.

If we as a society decide that we want anti-discrimination legislation, it would make a mockery of that to introduce an exemption process Patrick Harvie Green MSP

"We accept what was said in good faith when the then minister of education and his deputy said we didn't want anything in Scotland's adoption bill to adversely affect Catholic agencies in Scotland.

"We were pleased to hear that and accepted it."

However, Green MSP Patrick Harvie said: "If discrimination is a bad thing, if we as a society decide that we want anti-discrimination legislation, it would make a mockery of that to introduce an exemption process for those organisations most likely wanting to carry on discriminating."

The Equality Act is due to come into effect in England, Wales and Scotland in April.