The Church and homosexuality

With reference to the many letters written on the Buttiglione affair, it has been inaccurately stated by many correspondents that the Catechism of the Catholic Church "condemns discrimination against homosexuals" (e.g. Sandro Mangion's letter, December 19).

What the Catechism actually condemns is what is deemed to be "unjust discrimination" against homosexuals. This ambiguously qualified condemnation, along with a token and condescending call for "compassion" towards gays, is increasingly being perceived as a cynical attempt by the Church to disassociate itself from the ugly repercussions of the verbal abuse it routinely levels against us in its documents, where it describes our sexuality as "objectively and intrinsically disordered" and our relationships as "evil" and of "no social value" (document on same-sex unions issued by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, 2003).

It enables the Church to maintain its campaign against gay rights while escaping criminal prosecution in those states where incitement to hatred and discrimination against gays is a crime. However, this travesty is betrayed by the straight-talking, gaffe-prone Professor Buttiglione, a close friend of the Pontiff.

In his first interview following his dumping by the European Parliament, on BBC 2's Newsnight, he bleated that he "badly wanted to become (an EU) Commissioner" and that he "suffered an unfair discrimination".

However, he did not deny that, as a minister, he sought exemptions from the EU directive banning discrimination against gays, in the case of the armed forces, social services and the prison service. He even stated that there is nothing wrong in barring gays from the military, conveniently ignoring a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights to the contrary.

Perhaps these are examples of discrimination that is not "unjust" in the eyes of the Vatican and therefore acceptable!