Monday 10 June 2013

Archbishop Tartaglia backs Catholic adoption agency's struggle against unjust regulation

Archbishop Tartaglia "We hope that
common sense will prevail"
The Glasgow based St Margaret’s Children and Family Care Society is resisting demands from the OSCR, the Scottish Charities Regulator, to abandon its long-held position that the best interests of adopted children are served by having them placed preferentially with a mother and father within the stable union of marriage.

The OSCR claims that Saint Margaret's position would have a negative impact on cohabiting and same sex couples. Despite there being another 36 adoption agencies in Scotland, the regulator has deemed it important that Saint Margaret's effectively disassociate itself from the Church or face closure.

St Margaret’s Board Member, Brian McGuigan, has expressed the organisation’s determination to carry on: "fighting this at every available opportunity as Saint Margaret's origins and identity are inseparable from the Catholic Church and her values and moral teaching in respect to marriage and the family".

Strong support for their position came from Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, Arcbishop of Glasgow and administrator of the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh, who has described St Margaret’s as "a treasure of the Church in Scotland" which can be sure that "the whole Church is united in support for its work".

Hundreds gathered in support of the charity at St Andrew’s Cathedral on Sunday. The charity is appealing to the Scottish Charities Appeal Tribunal and, if necessary, is prepared to take its case to the Court of Session.

Archbishop Tartaglia said:
"The whole church is united in support for [St Margaret's Children and Family Care Society's] work and we hope that common sense will prevail, and it will be allowed to continue to serve children in Scotland who need loving families.”
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