Harriet Harman has backed down over her confrontation with Church leaders and Christian groups over who they can employ, making it clear that she will not force contentious amendments to the Equality Bill through Parliament.
The decision of Mrs Harman, 59, the Equalities Minister, signifies victory for Christian leaders and campaigners who challenged certain anti-discrimination employment law provisions in the Bill that would have narrowed the freedom of Churches to employ staff.
Church leaders and Christian campaigners said that under these provisions, religious organisations could no longer opt out of equality rules and would face prosecution unless they went against their beliefs by employing practicing homosexuals.
At the end of last month, the Bill’s provisions restricting the freedom of Churches suffered defeat in the House of Lords. It was expected that the Bill would be passed back to the House of Commons to reintroduce the measure. However, Mrs Harman decided to back down.
The Equality Bill started its Parliamentary stages on 24 March 2009. The Bill aims to sweep all of the existing law on equality into one Act of Parliament and to eliminate more forms of discrimination than are currently covered.
It was widely criticised by politicians, lawyers, church leaders, campaigners and general public.
This week, Pope Benedict XVI called upon Catholic Bishops from England and Wales to defend the faith and the Church’s moral teaching in the face of controversial equality legislation passing through Parliament. He said that instead of making society more equal, the Government’s new rules limit religious freedom and attempt to stop worshippers remaining true to their beliefs.
It was understood that he referred to the Equality Bill.
The Pope’s position has received support in the Church of England and other faith groups. Lord Sacks, the Chief Rabbi, said:
‘There are times when human rights become human wrongs... a political ideology, relentlessly trampling down everything in their path. This is happening increasingly in Britain, and it is why the Pope’s protest against the Equality Bill... should be taken seriously.’
It is reported that sources close to the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster indicated that problems remained, and that the Pope’s criticism went beyond the Equality Bill and was a broader challenge to all recent legislation that has affected religious freedoms.