The man against equality / O homem contra a igualdade

Está para nascer um papa mais intransigente, desagregador, autoritário, intolerante e preconceituoso que Bento 16.

A Igreja católica já gastou mais de US$ 1 bilhão em indenizações a vítimas de padres pedófilos, homossexuais, e ele vem com essa hipocrisia.

O papa Bento 16 pediu que bispos católicos na Inglaterra e no País de Gales se empenhem com "zelo missionário" em combater um projeto de lei que pode obrigar as igrejas a contratar homossexuais ou transexuais, contrariando dogmas da Igreja Católica.

O papa Bento 16 disse que a legislação "viola lei natural". O papa também confirmou que visitará a Grã-Bretanha neste ano, a primeira visita papal desde 1982.

O governo britânico diz que a legislação, chamada de Equality Bill, tornaria o país um lugar mais justo.

O projeto está sendo debatido pelo Parlamento em Londres.

Vaticano

"Seu país é conhecido pelo forte compromisso com a igualdade de oportunidades para todos os membros da sociedade", disse Bento 16 um grupo de bispos britânicos que visitaram o Vaticano.

"Ainda assim, o efeito de algumas leis criadas para atingir esses objetivos tem sido impor limites injustos à liberdade das comunidades religiosas para agir de acordo com suas crenças", disse ele.

Bento 16 estimulou os bispos a defender "convincentemente" os ensinamentos morais católicos. "Continuem a defender seu direito de participar no debate nacional por meio de um diálogo respeitoso com outros elementos da sociedade", disse ele.

Líderes religiosos na Grã-Bretanha temem que a lei obrigue as igrejas a empregar homossexuais e transexuais.

Defendendo a lei, um porta-voz do governo britânico disse: "Acreditamos que todos devem ter chances justos na vida e não sofrer discriminação". "A Equality Bill tornará a Grã-Bretanha um país mais justo e igualitário."

A Igreja Anglicana britânica mostrou-se preocupada com a legislação, argumentando que seus padres podem se ver forçados a celebrar casamentos nos quais um dos noivos sofreu uma mudança de sexo.

Seldom there may have been so intolerant, discriminative a pope like Benedict VXI. Who conveniently omits from his speech the US$ 1 billion spent by catholic church to indemnize victims of paedophile priests.

Pope Benedict XVI has called on Catholic priests in Britain to continue debating equality laws with officialdom.

Pope Benedict XVI has condemned British equality legislation for running contrary to "natural law" as he confirmed his first visit to the UK later this year.

In a letter addressed to the Catholic bishops of England and Wales, the pope praised Britain's "firm commitment to equality of opportunity for all".

However, he criticised UK legislation for creating "limitations on the freedom of religious communities to act in accordance with their beliefs". It is thought his comments relate to laws that came in last year preventing adoption agencies from discriminating against gay couples and also Harriet Harman's equality bill, currently going through parliament.

The pope, whose visit is expected in September, made the comments after hearing representations from English and Welsh bishops on their concerns about the place of religion in an increasingly secular society.

They told him sexual orientation legislation that came into effect on 1 January 2009 had forced the closure of half the Roman Catholic adoption agencies because the law making it illegal to discriminate against gay applicants went against their beliefs.

In his letter the pope said: "The effect of some of the legislation designed to achieve this goal has been to impose unjust limitations on the freedom of religious communities to act in accordance with their beliefs. In some respects it actually violates the natural law upon which the equality of all human beings is grounded and by which it is guaranteed."

It is also thought the pope was referring to the equality bill, which narrows the special exemption enjoyed by churches allowing them to exclude people whose lifestyles do not fit in with the religious ethos of an organisation when hiring staff. The bishops cited it as another restriction of their freedom of religious belief.

The archbishop of Westminster, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, who is in Rome, said: "It has been clear that he knows the situation and applied it to a move in legislation to look for equality."

The pope urged the bishops to make their voices heard and to defend the faith, saying Christian teaching did not undermine or restrict the freedom of others - and "others" include gay people, Your Holiness.

His remarks drew swift criticism from the National Secular Society, which said it would stage protests during the visit.

Terry Sanderson, the society's president, said: "The taxpayer is going to be faced with a bill for £20m for the visit – in which he has indicated he will attack equal rights and promote discrimination."