Faith and charity

That would certainly be the case if the adoption society, Catholic Care, had been forced to abandon finding homes for children in response to the Commission's narrow interpretation of new legislation. Indeed, after other agencies had given up the fight, the society is to be congratulated on its determination in going to the High Court where it won a ruling yesterday that it was entitled to an exemption from equality regulations and could not be forced to consider homosexual couples as parents.

In the end, what the Charity Commission failed to realise was that this was never a question of discrimination. Rather, it was one of showing respect for long-established religious principles which have helped countless families over many years.

While it is true that homosexual couples will not be served by Catholic Care, that was never any reason for preventing the agency from continuing to provide urgent help to other childless adults and to children in desperate need of a loving home.

Indeed, it should be a matter of deep concern that the Charity Commission failed to realise this. Considering other battles it is fighting, such as threatening the tax benefits of independent schools, the question has to be asked as to whether the Commission is pursuing a political agenda. For it is certainly one that defies not only all common sense, but also all notions of compassion.