Bishop Warns of Youth Clubs and Welfare Projects Closures in Wake of Gay Right Laws

A senior Church of England bishop has warned that Anglican youth clubs, welfare projects and charities may close because of new gay rights laws, in the wake of the protest by Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham Vincent Nichols against Government interference in the moral beliefs of Christians.

The Bishop of Rochester, the Right Reverend Michael Nazir-Ali, said that the Church of England's charities would be "affected" by the rules, which will force them to give equal treatment to homosexuals.

He declared: "It will be the poor and disadvantaged who will be the losers."

Although the new laws are meant to prevent discrimination against gays, the Church of England has said they mean priests could be sued for refusing to bless same-sex unions and Catholics say they will close their adoption agencies rather than give children to gay couples.

Due to become law next April, ministers are faced with a united front of hostility from churches over the Sexual Orientation Regulations.

Leaders of the increasingly influential black churches added their voices to the protest, saying that pastors and churchgoers will go to jail rather than accept rules that will mean they must open their meeting halls to gay lobby groups.

Pakistani-born Dr Nazir-Ali said: "I welcome warmly what the Roman Catholic Bishop of Birmingham has said about the Sexual Orientation Regulations."

George Hargreaves of the Hephzibah Christian Centre in Hackney said: "I have already bought my orange jumpsuit, for no doubt prison awaits us as we fight against the tyranny of the Sexual Orientation Regulations.

"If opposing this law is to be counted as an act of civil disobedience, than in obedience to God we must act in loving and peaceful civil disobedience."

Final details of the new laws have yet to be made public because of delays following a Cabinet row. Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly, a Catholic who is in charge of pushing the regulations through, only gave way and ordered the rules to go ahead last week.

There are threats of rebellion in Northern Ireland, which is being used as a test bed for the gay rights laws. The rules will come into force there at the beginning of January.