A CITY based Catholic adoption agency is awaiting news of its future following the row between the Church and the Government over gay adoptions.St Francis' Children's Society faces the threat of closure after Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the Roman Catholic leader in England and Wales, warned there would be agency closures if the Discrimination Act made it illegal for Catholic agencies to to turn away same-sex couples wanting to adopt.
On its website, the St Francis' Children's Society clearly states that it would not accept applications from gay and lesbian couples – in breach of the new law – although it would be able to give advice about other agencies which would.
A spokesman for St Francis' Children's Society said: "There has been no official announcement so we cannot comment at the moment."The society was set up in 1869 as the Northampton Diocesan Rescue Society and moved to Milton Keynes in the 1980s to a purpose-built building in Newport Road, Woolstone.So far it has placed more than 2,000 children.
In 1988, the society set up the Anancy Initiative to find more permanent families for black and mixed race children in local authority care.By coincidence, the society last week cancelled the official presentation of a £2,000 cheque from the Children's Charter which would provide an educational group adventure holiday for children suffering from abuse and disabilities.
The reason given for the cancellation was that the trustee had to travel to Milton Keynes from Twickenham and had been overwhelmed with appointments.Commenting on the Discrimination Act, North East Milton Keynes MP Mark Lancaster said: "The problem we have is legislation which is poorly drafted so you have to make a choice between discriminating against someone on the basis of their religion or their sexuality. The whole thing is a mess."
Milton Keynes South West MP Phyllis Starkey was unable to comment because she was in Palestine.
St Francis Childrens Society website is as follows:
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