Adoption agency renews fight to stay open
On 28 September 2010 Catholic Care filed an appeal with the High Court contesting the decision of the Charity Commission forbidding it to reject homosexual couples as potential adopters and foster parents.
On 28 September 2010 Catholic Care filed an appeal with the High Court contesting the decision of the Charity Commission forbidding it to reject homosexual couples as potential adopters and foster parents.
Catholic Care, the social care agency for the Diocese of Leeds, lodged the appeal following a ruling by the commission which rejected its application to change its constitution so that it could comply with Church teaching prohibiting homosexual adoption.
The Charity Commission claims that sexual orientation regulations mean that adoption agencies must not refuse to place children for adoption with homosexual couples. The commission has been vociferously supported by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and by various homosexual and secularist organisations.
Benjamin James, the solicitor representing Catholic Care, said that the commission “is wrong in its decision.”
“We have lodged an appeal with the charity tribunal and the charity tribunal will request that the Charity Commission responds within 28 days. Once the commission has responded, there will be a directions hearing deciding how the case will be managed going forward.
“The actual appeal is whether the Charity Commission correctly interpreted Sir Michael’s (Briggs) judgment,” he said.
In March 2010, High Court Judge Sir Michael Briggs ruled in favour of the agency when it first appealed against the commission’s decision.
Catholic Care is the longest established adoption agency in the area. It has cared for children disadvantaged by separation from their birth parents since 1865.
In September 2010 the leader of the Catholic Church warned of the “increasing marginalisation” of Christian faith and criticised controversial equality legislation, which forced Christians to act against their consciences.
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