Church Backs Anti-Gay Firefighters

LONDON, UK - The Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow said on Friday that he is backing the nine firefighters who were disciplined for refusing to hand out fire safety leaflets during a gay pride rally.

Strathclyde fire service said it had taken action against the firefighters who refused to give out "community fire safety advice" at the Pride Scotia festival in June.

"All nine will undergo a further intensive course of diversity training," the force said in a statement. "Their refusal was a fundamental breach of one of their core responsibilities."

However, Archbishop Mario Conti said he was concerned about what had happened and expressed solidarity with their actions, adding neither the officers' competency and commitment had not been questioned.

He said the officers had "legitimate concerns about being the subject of taunts and jokes, and in which, in come cases, their religious sensibilities were being grossly offended by people dressed as priests and nuns lampooning the church."

"The duty to obey one's conscience is a higher duty than that of obeying orders," Conti said.

The Strathclyde fire service said it had a duty to protect all the 2.3 million people it served, irrespective of their race, religion or sexuality.

"Firefighters cannot, and will not, pick and choose to whom they offer fire safety advice," their statement said.