Posted on 10/11/2004 7:08:02 PM PDT by wagglebee
Italy's nominee to become the European Union's Justice and Home Affairs commissioner failed on Monday to win the backing of the European Parliament's Justice Committee, days after testifying that he considers homosexuality a sin.
The panel narrowly failed to endorse Rocco Buttiglione, who is currently Italy's European Affairs minister, said Jean-Louis Bourlanges, chairman of the Justice Committee.
The committee voted 27-26 not to recommend Buttiglione, officials said.
The vote caused a political storm in Italy, with politicians on the right coming to Buttiglione's defense and many on the left attacking the government's choice of candidate.
During a confirmation hearing last week, Buttiglione, who is close to the Vatican, faced a barrage of hostile questions over his conservative views.
He vowed to defend the rights of gays but told the Justice and Home Affairs Committee he considered homosexuality a sin.
In the past two weeks, the European Parliament held confirmation hearings for 25 men and women who have been named by their governments to serve on the next EU Executive Commission, which begins work Nov. 1 under incoming Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, the former Portuguese prime minister.
The Justice Committee's rejection does not jeopardize the incoming commission, but if it is approved by parliamentary leaders it will force Barroso into a tight spot: he would either have to drop Buttiglione and embarrass the Italian government or accept him as EU commissioner despite misgivings in the parliament. He could also move him to a less contentious post.
Under EU rules, the 732-member parliament cannot reject individual candidates, only the entire incoming commission.
Buttiglione is the only commissioner-designate to be rejected by an EU assembly panel so far.
In last week's hearing, legislators pushed him to reveal his conservative religious views, which many fear could influence his job in drafting anti-discrimination rules.
"I may think that homosexuality is a sin, and this has no effect on politics, unless I say that homosexuality is a crime," Buttiglione said.
Sergio Lo Giudice, president of the Italian gay rights group Arcigay, said the decision showed the EU's strong commitment to human rights and its independence from the Roman Catholic Church.
"We are pleased and reassured by the decision. The Vatican's backyard ends at the Alps," he told the ANSA news agency.
This is very shocking
not really.
The anti-Christ gives a thumbs down.
Kudoes to Mr. Buttiglione. Nice to know there are still a few European politicians who'd rather be right than popular. Standing up for the truth is not easy, but this guy's got the cojones (or the Italian equivalent of cojones).
We are heading toward the end, and the globalization of International Power will bring in the AntiChrist, the EU is a part of the fulfilling of that Bible prophecy...it's just a "knowing of the seasons" of Jesus time to return. We do not know the day nor the hour, but of times and seasons and as we see things come to pass in fulfilling of scripture.
We can pray and hold off some of evil, just like we are trying to do with election, but eventually it will all happen.
Kerry was there? :-)
We can pray and act, according to the Great Commission! God's mission, carried out in his Son will not go unfulfilled. God has been involved in breaking up empires and other power structures, so His Word can have His Way.
Once that is done, it will be done, and the Lord will cause the Tribulation. But how could this happen until the Lord decides His harvest is in? That could be centuries from now, for all we know.
In any case, the EU is very precarious and I suggest its novelty will wear off. Europe is a contentious little subcontinent. ;-)
"We can pray and hold off some of evil, just like we are trying to do with election, but eventually it will all happen."
You said what I thought (and think).
Homosexual Agenda Ping.
Anyone surprised?
I guess the Italian guy is lucky he's not doing time like the pastor in Sweden did.
Let me and Scripter know if anyone wants on/off this pinglist.
I think Buttiglione handled the homosexual issue perfectly in the committee hearing. He was precise and explained exactly why he felt the way he did.
But he was not really turned down because of this (it was just the icing), it was his pseudo racist remarks about how the EU should stop the "rampant" immigration from Africa that got him (Camps in North Africa). Well, that and his latin macho stand on Women issues (did not go down well with the French, Germans and the Scandinavian MEP:s).
Gay love jobs in these degenerate bureaucracy. I promise you there are tons of gays in the UN. Maybe less these days since Muslims and 3rdw worlders have muscled their way into many UN jobs. I'm sure the same dynamic is at work in the EU bureaucracy. IOW it's very gay friendly place to work.
For that matter freepers have commented on how many gays work in Congress in support jobs. Have seen it first hand when attending hearings etc.
EU: Observant Christians Need not Apply
Leni
I don't think that's very macho; and as for "rampant" immigration from Africa, it is a problem acknowledged by all of Europe, because Africans die every day being smuggled across the Straits of Gibraltar in tiny boats.
No, I think the thing that did it was his rejection of "homosexual marriage," because this is a big part of the Socialist package. It was one of the first items that Spain's new Socialist leader, Zapatero, announced as his agenda, for example, and he is well on the way to getting it. He is, of course, taking punitive measures against the Church for opposing him on this.
That said, I can't understand why homosexuality, particularly "homosexual marriage," is so crucial to the Socialist program.
Yes, the quote seems right, but the camp-comments are not from this particular hearing. He was not rejected because of his statements during this hearing (which I believe was largely ok), but because of comments made before.
Stopping Africans from dying when trying to enter the Union is one thing, His idea about camps a whole other...
More over I don´t think Zapatero carries that much clout yet, the Italian conservatives call it bias against Berlusconi.
The homosexual agenda is on the march and our kids are next!
Well I believe the direct biblical quote is "abomination"... but heaven forbid we remotely suggest that behavior is sinful in the context of ones religious faith, regardless of what the scriptures say.
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