BRUSSELS, October 21, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Jose Manuel Barroso, the incoming head of the European Commission will not fire outspokenly Catholic Rocco Buttiglione from his appointment as the European Parliament’s justice and civil rights post despite a concerted campaign from the left. Barroso showed a letter signed by Buttiglione that promised he would resign if “a conflict might arise between my conscience and my duty as a commissioner.” A 200-member consortium of socialists, communists and Greens has allied against the Catholic candidate. Buttiglione, a personal friend of Pope John Paul II was caught in the culture war crossfire for his support of traditional marriage and when he asserted that homosexuality is sinful. The campaign against Buttiglione was characterized as a campaign against Catholics by Renato Cardinal Martino, the influential head of the Vatican’s Justice and Peace department. The Cardinal was quoted as saying there was a bigoted anti-Catholic ‘inquisition’ against devout Catholics in public life. He accused the Euro-Parliament of fostering a “new anti-Catholicism” in which “you can freely insult Catholics and nobody will tell you anything”. Barroso’s refusal to remove Buttiglione is couched in apologetic language. The letter he read to a closed-door meeting in Brussels expressed Buttiglione’s ‘deep regret’ for problems that his comments may have caused. Buttiglione wrote that he wants the job of Commissioner and wrote, “if this should ever be the case during my mandate, I am ready to formally ask you to be exonerated from the execution of a particular act and to be substituted in it”. Barroso has said he feels a compromise will stave off a revolt during next Wednesday’s vote where the MEP’s must ratify his commissioners.
The move has not appeased socialists however. Socialist group leader, Martin Schulz, said, “I have to say openly we expect a reshuffle of the commission.” Graham Watson, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said, “I want Mr. Barroso to agree with us that Mr. Buttiglione must be moved.” Read Previous LifeSiteNews.com coverage: Vatican’s Martino Defends Buttiglione Against Anti-Catholic “Lay Inquisition” at Euro-Parliament https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/oct/04101906.html ph