By ALISON HORWOOD
WELLINGTON - The Catholic Church has added its support to gay relationships enjoying similar rights to those applying to married couples.
The 10 members of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference say there should be a system of registration which gives same-sex couples similar civic and legal rights, including
income tax support, legal aid, tax allowances and property entitlements when a relationship fails.
The conference made the submission in response to a Ministry of Justice discussion paper on same-sex couples and the law. The ministry will report to Parliament before the House conducts a conscience vote on the issue.
The Christian Heritage Party also made a submission, saying it opposed not only the marriage of homosexuals but any registration which might give them similar rights.
The party's leader, the Rev Graham Capill, said last night that he was staggered at the stance taken by the Catholic Church, and that homosexuality should not be tolerated in any form.
"We are playing with semantics. To treat homosexual couples to a form of registration but not call them married is to give them the same status but not the same title."
But the Catholic Church says a relationship should be defined by the care, financial independence and shared property involved and its duration. Legislation relating to opposite-sex de facto relationships should include same-sex couples and the existence of a sexual relationship should not be inquired into by the courts.
But the bishops did not support gay couples being able to adopt children or "using technology" to become joint parents.
They said that even if one of the partners was the natural parent of a child, the couple should not have joint legal status. However, where gay couples were caring for a child they should be entitled to parental leave in the same way as married or de facto opposite-sex relationships.
