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February 8, 2005

EU MP Says Catholic Beliefs are Off The Wall

Senior Member of European Paliment calls Catholic teaching "way off the wall"

Urbana, IL (DMP), Feb 8th, 2005 - During a talk given by Senior MEP Glyn Ford at the University of Illinois Law School, Mr. Ford described Catholic teaching on homosexuality, abortion, and stem cell research "way off the wall".

The talk, part of a multi-disciplanary seminar on EU-US relations, focused on the EU Constitution and European Union structure. He covered several points regarding the development of the ongoing integration of the European Union nations.

During the talk he made reference to Rocco Buttiglione, the Italian who was nominated for the position of EU Justice commissioner but later withdrawn when his views on Catholicism came under fire. A compromise to place Dr. Buttiglione in another position that did not involve discrimination cases also failed. Dr. Buttiglione had said during the course of his hearings that he viewed homosexuality as sin, in accordance with Catholic teaching.

When pressed for further comment on the matter, Mr. Ford claimed that Dr. Buttiglione, a close friend and confidant of the Pope, was "out of the mainstream" of Catholics, despite the fact Church teaching on homosexuality is clearly defined and precisely what Dr. Buttiglione referenced. He further stated that his opposition of embryonic stem cell research (as opposed to adult stem cell research which is viewed to have no ethical problems) prohibited him from holding the position, even the Justice would never touch on the issue of stem cell research.

Mr. Ford also later claimed that opposition to abortion and contraception in Catholic countries poses grave problems for those countries to be integrated into the European Union. These comments further support the idea that Christianity, and Catholicism in general, is viewed as discriminatory and unwelcome in the EU and devout Christians need not apply for any position of noteworthiness in the new government.

Mr. Ford was the leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party from 1989 - 1993, and is a member of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party. He is a full member of the European Parliament's committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy. He is also a visiting lecturer at the University of Illinois at Chicago. For more information, please see his web site at http://glynford.com/default.asp.
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Posted by John Bambenek at February 8, 2005 9:12 PM