Church Appeals for Exemption to Government Equality Laws

Roman Catholic Church leaders have accused the British Government of using new equality legislation to force them to allow transsexuals to occupy positions within the Church.

Catholic bishops in England and Wales believe that the new Government measures would force them to allow transsexuals to be ordained as priests, and to even allow them to become nuns.

The new laws prohibit any kind of "indirect discrimination" against people who have carried out "gender reassignment" operations.

It is believed that this would stop the Church from requesting documents which would reveal any hidden history of potential Church priests, nuns, and even those getting married.

Under current plans, such records would be altered when a person undergoes the gender change operation.

Foreseeing the problems this would cause the Church, the Archbishop of Cardiff, the Most Rev Peter Smith, said according to The Times: "Many Christians believe, on strongly held religious grounds, that gender is given before birth and cannot be changed."