TORCHWOOD star John Barrowman has attacked the Catholic Church over its criticism of the planned consultation on same-sex marriages.
The church has criticised the Scottish Government’s plans for a 14-week consultation on whether to change a law that allows gay and lesbian couples to formalise their relationship in a civil partnership.
They are currently unable to marry in a religious service but under the new consultation that may change.
Barrowman, 41, spoke out after becoming angered by a series of calls from the church’s leadership for it to drop the plans.
The Glasgow-born actor has been in a civil partnership with architect Scott Gill since 2006.
He said that he was shocked at the statements of Cardinal Keith O’Brien, leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland, Mario Conti, the Archbishop of Glasgow and the Bishop of Paisley, Philip Tartaglia.
SHAME SCOTLAND
Cardinal O’Brien said legalising same-sex marriage would “shame Scotland in the eyes of the world.
And Archbishop Conti said that allowing gay couples to marry in a traditional sense would be pointless as it would not result in the creation of a “natural family”.
But Barrowman said he was “horrified” church groups were “prepared to ruin lives”.
He said: “That’s not being Christian at all. In fact, I think it’s evil. Being gay is not, as they claim, against the laws of nature.
“I was born this way. And there is a reason I was born this way. I didn’t decide to wake up gay one morning.
“If two people love each other enough and want to call what they have a ‘marriage’, regardless of their sex, shouldn’t we let them do that?
“Otherwise, we’re in the Dark Ages again.”
He added: “I’d like to remind the church many of their own practices were kept a secret for many years and for them to turn round and attack someone who wants to be married is quite incredible.
“I think they’d be advised to remain quiet.”
And he said that if the church continues to go down this route then they will lose even more congregation members.
He added: “My parents are a prime example. They don’t go to church anymore, in spite of the fact they attended every Sunday and gave a great deal of money to the church.
“But one Sunday the pastor stood up in church in Florida and said in his sermon that all homosexuals were set to burn in Hell. They decided they wouldn’t go back.”
Barrowman says that he is not a spokesman for the gay movement but felt that he had to speak out. He added: “If the word ‘marriage’ upsets church people so much, then let’s just stick with the unions being described as civil partnerships.”
FEMALE TIMELORD
The Doctor Who actor has also recently came out and said that the show should “go out on a limb” and make the next Doctor female.
He said that he thinks Catherine Tate would make a “lovely doctor” once Matt Smith quits his Time Lord role.
He said: “A female Doctor might work, you never know. I know there’s a lot of young girls and women who would love that.
“I think that maybe they should go out on a limb next time and try it.”
He joked: “Put me in a dress and I’ll be the female Doctor.”
