Speaking of waves of visitors ...

Thanks to the several St. Bloggers in the last day who have linked to my article below on the British discrimination law, its application for adoption and schools, and the threat to religious freedom -- Amy Welborn, Rich Leonardi, Jay Anderson, Father Ray Blake (who looks like he may be in line for Tyburn), and "Athos" of the "Three Massketeers" (but no D'Artagnan??).

I also was alerted (via Jay and Father Blake) of another Tyburn-ready British priest, Father Tim Finigan who quotes the clear language of the bill and explains quite bluntly how this law would make Catholicism illegal in Britain (and Islam too, for that matter). This is the key quote from the report:

Applying the Regulations to the curriculum would not prevent pupils from being taught as part of their religious education the fact that certain religions view homosexuality as sinful. In our view there is an important difference between this factual information being imparted in a descriptive way as part of a wide-ranging syllabus about different religions, and a curriculum which teaches a particular religion’s doctrinal beliefs as if they were objectively true. The latter is likely to lead to unjustifiable discrimination against homosexual pupils.

Except that Catholicism does not teach that "Catholicism teaches that homosexual acts are sins and the condition is disordered." Catholicism teaches that "homosexual acts are sins and the condition is disordered." And Father Finigan dots the "i" and crosses the "t":

The people who framed this guidance will not accept our teaching that homosexuality is a disorder nor that homosexual acts are sinful. They have the bit between their teeth. Although the direction in which public policy has been moving is obvious enough, I am a little surprised at the pace it has now picked up. Make no mistake - this proposal will make it illegal for Catholic schools to teach that the Catholic faith is true.

Let me take Father's analysis one step farther. You couldn't even get around this by not mentioning Topic H. The minute you teach that Catholicism (or Islam, for that matter) is true, even in the context of the Real Presence or the Trinity or other sacramental or doctrinal matters, you are necessarily also teaching (at least implicitly) that homosexual acts are wrong, etc. The Church teaches what She does on both the Real Presence and sodomy based, at least in part, on the same claim to authority -- that of being the Church established by Christ to fulfill His mission on Earth in history.