The Catholic bishops of England and Wales have urged British politicians to abandon the bill on so-called «conversion practices,» which the Government has sent to Parliament for pre-legislative scrutiny. This is the position of the Archbishop of Liverpool, John Sherrington, head of the Social Justice department of the Bishops’ Conference, in a statement published on Tuesday, November 10, in which he expresses his «serious concern» about the text and warns that it threatens religious freedom and freedom of expression.
The draft, published on June 25 by the British Government’s Equality and Opportunities Office, prohibits conversion practices it considers criminal and defines as such any conduct intended to make a person have or cease to have a particular sexual orientation or a «transgender identity,» or to believe that they have or do not have one. According to the project’s official page, it proposes three new offenses, one of them for encouraging or assisting in committing these practices against a British citizen or resident abroad, and creates civil protection orders that would allow action before they occur.
Sherrington maintains that the rule «is very broad in its scope». The Church, he recalls, rejects any form of abuse, but «existing legislation already covers those abusive practices and makes them illegal». The problem, in his view, is that the bill goes further: it could threaten fundamental rights of individuals, including freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression, and create uncertainty about the Church’s lawful pastoral care, family life, and open conversations on these issues.
The archbishop focuses on who could face court. He warns that legal actions could be directed against individuals or organizations, including parents of children, who express well-informed opinions and make well-intentioned statements. And he points out that the text could make it difficult for the Church to proclaim «an authentic understanding of the human person with clarity, simplicity, love, and respect».
The conclusion of the statement is an unequivocal request. «We ask politicians to abandon this bill», writes Sherrington, urging them to focus on enforcing the protections that already exist. The quotes come from the English text published by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and are translated by this editorial team.
The bill is in the pre-legislative scrutiny phase, the procedure in which Parliament examines a draft before the Government formally presents it. The ban on conversion therapies is a promise that successive British governments have been dragging on for years. As the episcopal statement puts it, the risk lies in the blurred line between coercive practice, which is already a crime, and prayer, pastoral counseling, or parents talking with their child.
It is not a theoretical fear. In March, the Church in Iceland found itself embroiled in controversy after authorities considered opening a criminal investigation for alleged «conversion therapy» against the diocesan chancellor, Father Jakob Rolland, for stating in an interview that homosexuality is contrary to Catholic morality.
The English bishops call for the withdrawal of a law that, in their view, would cast suspicion on the Church’s pastoral care and the words of parents.
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