Stop the Pope's crusade against women's and gay rights

London Protest for a Secular Europe

No Vatican interference in politics

Stop the Pope's crusade against women's and gay rights

London, UK

Protest
Saturday 14 February 2009
Meet @ 2 PM outside the Natural History Museum
Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD (near the corner with Exhibition Road)

March to the Italian Embassy in Grosvenor Square for a rally.

Saturday's protest in London is in support of a simultaneous protest
taking place in Rome, which is demanding that the Vatican end its
interference in Italian politics.

"This demonstration is demanding that the Vatican stop meddling in
politics and abusing its power to oppose human rights. We also want
the Italian government to cease kow-towing to the Pope's theocratic
agenda," said Peter Tatchell of the LGBT human rights organisation
OutRage!, who is scheduled as a keynote speaker at the rally outside
the Italian Embassy.

"Our aim is a secular Europe, where people are free to practice their
faith but where no religion has privileged legal status and unique
access to political power and influence.

"We are appalled by the Pope's repeated attacks on the rights of women
and gay people and by his wilful opposition to life-saving condom
provision. The Italian government too often allows itself to be
bullied by the Vatican, on issues such as same-sex civil marriage and
sex education in schools.

"If Catholics suffer discrimination I will be the first to defend
them. Equally, when the Pope supports discrimination against women and
gay people I will be the first to oppose him. That is the difference
between me and the Pope. I oppose all discrimination, including
against Catholics. He supports sexist and homophobic discrimination
whenever it suits his intolerant interpretation of the Christian
faith," said Mr Tatchell

Saturday's protest is endorsed by the British Humanist Association,
OutRage!, the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association and many others.

This demo will be in solidarity with the demonstration happening at
the same time in Rome against the Vatican's manipulation of Italian,
European and world-wide politics.
http://www.facciamobreccia.org/london
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=45329993350

Organiser's contact info:
Marco Tranchino - 07806647903
Serena Bassi - 07796891091

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE VATICAN

By Marco Tranchino and Serena Bassi

This tiny State inhabited mainly by priests is extremely powerful and
its "moral" crusades adversely affect the lives of millions of people
in Europe and in the world.

Officially part of the UN, its "observer-state" status means it
engages in UN debates on a variety of issues ranging from favourites,
such as birth control, abortion and homosexuality, to the environment,
war and global trade.

The Vatican has diplomatic relationships with almost all the Countries
in the world (174 when John Paul II died) and in many EU countries
they benefit from the support of Catholic politicians or in many cases
of Christian political parties. Of the 27 countries of the European
Union, 14 are bound to the Vatican by at least one treaty. No other
religion has such a power in Europe and in the World, thus prompting
the Economist to publish an investigation about the diplomatic service
of the Vatican, questioning whether it deserves its special status in
the UN (21/07/2007)

The Catholic Church is an extremely profitable business. They own
businesses such as hotels, restaurants, shops and private schools and
they DON'T pay any tax! On top of this, the Vatican receives public
money in many countries: in Italy about 1000 million Euros from taxes
is destined to the Vatican every year (930 millions � in 2006 ).

The Vatican wields considerable political and economic power. It uses
its influence and privilege to impose an agenda on a variety of issues
that affect our lives as European citizens, and limit our civil rights
and our civil liberties.

THE POPE'S VIEWS ON WOMEN AND LGBT PEOPLE

The issue of women's rights and the Catholic Church goes way beyond
the hierarchy of the church, where women are unable to ascend to
priesthood as a result of their gender. Women who have had a divorce,
women who want to have an abortion and women who are living as single
parents in catholic countries are often victims of intimidation and
discrimination. The Pope encourages us to view women as unequal to
men, by consistently and publicly stating that the two genders are
naturally different and that women are naturally inclined for domestic
living. In some catholic countries, like Ireland and Poland, abortion
is illegal. In others, like Italy, the right to an abortion is
constantly under threat from the Vatican's pressure on the Government.
The Pope thinks being gay is an "objective disorder" and a "moral
evil". In many countries in the world you can still get the death
penalty for being gay. Recently, a proposal to de-criminalise
homosexuality was opposed by the Vatican in the UN because it would
mean that States where same-sex unions are not recognized would be
discriminated against and unfairly subjected to international
pressure.

WHY SHOULD IT MATTER TO PEOPLE IN THE UK

This is certainly a global issue, but it also directly affects people
living in the UK. This country is regarded by many as fairly "secular"
but in reality Christianity remains strongly embedded in many British
institutions and continues to enjoy unfair religious privilege.

Although a limited right to abortion has been granted to women living
in England, Scotland and Wales since 1967, in Northern Ireland it
remains illegal. This anomaly is significantly due to religious
influence. Christian lobbies are engaged in continual efforts to
restrict a woman's right to abortion and have succeeded in reducing
the time limit for an abortion in Great Britain from 28 to 24 weeks.

Religion retains undue influence and power in various ways. With
increasing numbers of state funded faith schools (1 in 3 of all
schools in the UK is either Catholic or Church of England), they
continue to exercise a strong influence on young people.

With public opinion distracted over the proposal to refer to the
Christian roots of Europe they made sure that the proposed EU
Constitution � and now the Lisbon Treaty (article 16C) - dangerously
commits the European Union to "an open, transparent and regular
dialogue with Churches and religious organisations".

We need to protect democracy and to champion human rights against
those who wish to retain undemocratic influence and privilege.

The Vatican has done this for years in the European Union, the United
Nations and even in the UK parliament without anyone paying attention.
Why?
"Man in his arrogance thinks himself a great work, worthy the
interposition of a deity...it is more humble and I believe truer to
consider him created from animals" (Charles Darwin)

We will meet at 2pm outside the Natural History Museum, where the
biggest ever Charles Darwin exhibition commemorates his bicentenary.
We will then walk through Hyde Park, to the ITALIAN EMBASSY in Grosvenor Square.

Organisations can express their support at adesioni@facciamobreccia.org

Protest organiser's contact info:

Marco Tranchino - 07806647903
Serena Bassi - 07796891091