Scottish Catholic Observer

A senior bishop in the English Church has called parliament’s decision an ‘Orwellian’ move that would have ‘catastrophic consequences for marriage and for family life in Britain’ and a majority of MPs in the Conservative Party refused to back him.

Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth said the decision was ‘contrary to right reason, the natural law and the Judaeo-Christian tradition’ and could have huge consequences for the Church in England and Wales.

“[It may be] the Church will be forced to withdraw from the civil registration of marriages, as in some European countries, where couples fulfill the civil requirements in the town hall before heading to church for Matrimony,” he said. “Others worry that just as the Church was forced to abandon its adoption services, so too Catholics who work in the medical profession and in social services are going to find themselves under intolerable moral pressures. These pressures will also arguably be felt throughout our Catholic schools, by teachers, staff and parents.”

Mr Cameron, however, said the vote was ‘an important step forward for our country.’ It moves the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill onto the committee stage and also has implications for Scotland ahead of the Scottish Government’s own legislation. If approved by the Commons, the bill will pass to the House of Lords. Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, said that peers will ‘ask searching and uncomfortable questions about the legislation.’

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