New EU Christian Lobby Group to be set up by Rejected Buttiglione

The Italian politician, Rocco Buttiglione, who was forced to withdraw from running as a candidate for EU Commissioner, has reported that he now plans to establish a Christian lobby group across Europe.

The Italian's candidacy for EU Justice Commissioner came to a halt after he stated publicly his Christian views condemning abortions and homosexuality. This enraged opponents who seized the opportunity to rebuke Buttiglione and accuse him of being prejudice.

However, undeterred in expressing his conservative Christian principles, Mr Buttiglione now wants to build a Christian lobby group to bring Christian principles into the European Union and pierce into the decision-making processed that occur across the continent.

He stated that initial plans for the lobby group have received tremendous support, and he recalled, "When I resigned, my political career was over, and I was alone. All of a sudden, I found an enormous number of people sending me e-mails, calling my phone, clapping their hands when they met me in the street. Some friends organised a moment to meet me in Milan – and there were thousands and thousands of people."

According to Buttiglione, many other European countries have also reportedly expressed their support for his views, including Germany, Poland, Latvia and the Czech Republic.

"It is quite apparent that a free Europe is one in which homosexuals can do what they want – but also we are free to say that what they are doing is wrong. A Europe in which one of these two pillars is missing is no longer a free Europe," he argued.

Peter Mandelson, an EU commissioner-designate stated previously that Mr Buttiglione was "unwise" to express his views regarding homosexuality publicly. The Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi later withdrew Buttiglione from the race, and replaced him with the Italian Foreign Minister, Franco Frattini.

The latest drive from the rejected Italian comes after he reported that he felt Christians were being "discriminated against for having the moral position of the Church," and that they were "no more first-class citizens in Europe."

However, Buttiglione also emphasised that his new lobby group would not just be targeted at Christians. He commented, "We need a liberal lobby, liberal not in the modern sense but in the traditional sense, a lobby for the freedom of conscience and the freedom of speech."

In addition to his new plans, Buttiglione also expressed his frustration at his feelings over what had happened. He reported to the BBC news team that he felt that his views had been "falsified" by other people.

"Many people believe that I introduced the concept of sin into political debate – I didn't," he said. "I've always said that I may think homosexuality is a sin, but it has no impact on politics because I stand in politics for non-discrimination."