Scottish bishops criticise Government policy

Briefing: this is an excellent statement, and as Damian Thompson says, puts the bishops of England and Wales to shame. It focuses on family policy and the homosexual adoption issue: on both of which the Bishops of England and Wales have apparently nothing to say, as a group. Their failure to agree to a statement over the latter is remarked on by Bishop O'Donaghue in his recent 'Fit For Mission? - Parishes' booklet. The Scottish bishops point out that children can only be helped through families: an obvious point which has been lost on Labour, in its ideologically driven attack on the family.

From the Scottish Catholic Observer (in part): Scotland’s bishops have accused Gordon Brown’s Government of planning to undermine families.

The Bishop’s Conference, responding to the draft legislative programme for the coming Parliamentary session, attacked both the government’s lack of support for families and its attempts to impose its ideological beliefs on society.

“Catholic adoption agencies are now to be indifferent as to whether a child is to be placed with a married couple of a homosexual cohabiting couple; this is gravely wrong,” the bishops say.

The Scottish hierarchy has now called on the government to do more for families and rethink its legislation, including the forthcoming Equality Bill.

The bishops made the call in a joint response to the legislative programme, which will be unveiled in the Queen’s speech at the opening of the next session of Parliament.

“We highlight the importance of the human family as the building block of society. Centuries of experience and learning testify to the importance of supporting family life for the well-being of society,” the bishops say in their response.

There is a duty on the government to give positive benefits to married parents, according to the Scottish hierarchy. The trend of ignoring the family when attempting to help children is “gravely deleterious,” the bishops say. “Policies must help encourage family stability.”

Only in this way, say the bishops, can child poverty be reduced and educational achievement increased.

See the full article.