Gay-rights TV slot condemned

Poland’s Catholic Church has attacked state broadcasting directors for allowing TV channels to run a brief programme defending the rights of homosexuals, writes Jonathan Luxmoore.

“The National Radio and Television Board is not and cannot be an expert on Christian values – yet it took an arbitrary decision in this area,” said Fr Ireneusz Woluszczuk, a legal expert. “In this way, it seriously exceeded its competence, violating its statutory duty and the constitutional order of Poland.”

The priest was reacting to a board statement in defence of the 30-second film, Nearest Strangers, screened last month by the five state-owned TV channels. Funded by licence-payers, it  was denounced too by Archbishop Waclaw Depo, head of the Church’s Mass Media Council.