Anti-Christian EU's religious test.

Rocco Buttliglione, Italy's minister for European affairs, was tapped by incoming European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso to serve as the European Union's Justice Commissioner. A devout Catholic often referred to as a confidant of Pope John Paul II, Mr. Buttliglione had always been candid about his embrace of traditional moral standards. Thus when his nomination was placed before the EU Parliament, "left-wingers ... were lying in wait, ready to turn his Catholic beliefs back against him," commented the October 27 Times of London.

"Quizzed about his attitude to homosexuality, Signor Buttliglione told MEPs [Members of the European Parliament]: 'Many things may be considered immoral which should not be prohibited,'" continued the Times account. "He added: 'I may think that homosexuality is a sin, and this has no effect on politics, unless I say that homosexuality is a crime.' When asked why he was opposed to gay marriages, he said that "the family exists to allow women to have children and be protected by their husbands.'"

This is not to say that Mr. Buttliglione yearned to create a continent-spanning theocracy. "The state has no right to stick its nose into these things and nobody can be discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation," he insisted, showing how far the supposed champions of morality have caved in to EU political correctness. He noted that the European Union's Constitution prohibits "discrimination" against homosexuals and said, "I have pledged to defend this constitution."

But the dominant anti-Christian faction in the EU parliament had already won, since for them, as the Times pointed out, "describing homosexuality as a sin was a sin in itself." Liberal and Socialist MEPs refused to approve any of president-elect Barroso's commissioners unless Buttliglione withdrew his name. Barroso responded by withdrawing his entire slate of nominees, thereby establishing a critical precedent: only those who uphold the sodomite "rights" agenda in both word and deed can be considered for positions in the EU's executive body.

"We are absolutely delighted," sniffed Ben Summerskill, spokesperson for the British homosexual pressure group Stonewall. "It was entirely inappropriate that someone who is prepared to express these views should have been asked to become a commissioner in a Europe that is now based on equal treatment for all its citizens." As in Orwell's Animal Farm, however, in the anti-Christian EU, some--homosexuals, feminists, cultural Marxists--are more equal than others Christians and other traditionalists.