DON'T IMPOSE YOUR MORALITY; Catholic Archbishop's Blast at Ministers over New Gay Rights Laws

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Byline: STEVE DOUGHTY

MINISTERS were accused of trying to distort the nation's morals yesterday in a fierce attack by a leading Roman Catholic churchman.

The Archbishop of Birmingham, Vincent Nichols, threatened to withdraw cooperation over schools, charity programmes and adoption agencies if new laws on gay rights go ahead.

The assault signalled a deepening of the row between Labour and the churches over the laws, which are designed to stop businesses discriminating against homosexuals.

Archbishop Nichols said Ministers were 'engaged in an intense and at times aggressive reshaping of our moral framework'. He added: 'Those who are elected to fashion our laws are not elected to be our moral …