From: International Gay Lesbian Human Rights Commission Newsgroups: iglhrc.ern Date: 11 May 94 22:20 PDT European Parliament Passes Gay Rights Resolution -- Pope Responds The European Parliament, an advisory body of the European Union (EU) that is made up of elected representatives from all twelve EU member countries, passed a resolution on February 8th that calls on member states to end discriminatory practices against their lesbian and gay citizens. This historic resolution has come under strong criticism by the Vatican. Letters are needed both in support of the recommendations contained in the EU resolution and in protest of the Pope's public sanctioning of anti-lesbian and gay bias. The resolution was passed by a vote of 159 to 96 and was introduced by Rapporteur Claudia Roth who is a member of the German Green Party. The directive calls on EU countries to ensure equal treatment of Gays in areas of social security, inheritance, and housing; to adopt a common age of consent for heterosexual and homosexual acts in countries where this is not already the case; to guarantee lesbian and gay couples the right to form registered partnerships with all the full legal rights and benefits of marriage; and to grant gays and lesbians the right to adopt children. Resolutions adopted by the European Parliament do not have the force of law, but they do send a powerful message to the governments of countries such as the United Kingdom, Greece, Germany, and Luxembourg, where anti-gay discrimination is still codified in national law. Reaction to the European Parliamentary resolution was not long in coming. On February 22nd, Pope John Paul II made reference to it in his weekly address on St. Peter's Square. He denounced the resolution as "inappropriately conferring an institutional value on deviant behavior." He called on European countries to ignore the resolution. That same day, the Pope also issued a letter denouncing same sex unions as "a serious threat to the future of the family and society," and said only "heterosexual unions can be recognized as a marriage in society." The 100 page letter, addressed directly to Catholics rather then priests and bishops, also reaffirmed the Church's ban on divorce, abortion and contraception. Far from presenting merely an internal religious matter, the Pope's statement constitutes a powerful political act that seeks to blur the distinction between secular, democratic, heterogeneous societies and a theocracy. His statements leave little doubt of his intention to muster a moral bulwark against lesbian and gay emancipation. Letters of support should be sent to Rapporteur Claudia Roth. Letters may make the following points: 1. We/I applaud your leadership in introducing and achieving the passage of the Resolution on equal rights for homosexuals and lesbians in the EU (A3-0028/94). We count on your continued leadership in efforts to achieve legal equality for lesbian and gay people throughout the European Union. 2. We/I are concerned over recent statements by Pope John Paul II opposing the above mentioned resolution. In response, the European Union should continue to prioritize documentating compliance with its recommendation and issue further recommendations as needed. Respectfully worded letters of protest should be sent to the Pope. Letters might make the following points: 1. The religious doctrine of the Catholic Church notwithstanding, lesbian and gay people exist, contribute to society, and deserve all the protection and advantages afforded to heterosexuals. It may be appropriate for the leader of the Catholic Church to discourage or encourage the private actions of other Catholics, but it is not appropriate for a religious leader to pretend to direct the secular governments of heterogeneous societies. 2. By publicly opposing equality and non discrimination the Pope is inadvertently fanning hatred and intolerance. Given the rise of neo-facist groups throughout the continent, and volatile ethnic tensions, the Pope would do well to preach respect for diversity and a commitment to respect the personal and victimless decisions of private actors. Letters should be sent to: His Holiness Pope John Paul II Vatican City 00187 Rome ITALY Ms. Claudia Roth Partei Die Grnen Mitglied des Europaparlaments Bundeshaus D-53090 Bonn GERMANY fax: +32-2-284-99-73