United Future leader Peter Dunne will complain to the Human Rights Commission over a ban on communion wine in prisons.
Wine, which is classed as a banned drug under the 2004 Corrections Act, is not allowed in prisons -- outraging Catholics who say it is a denial of
religious freedom.
From 1999, Catholics were granted an exemption to bring communion wine into prisons, the NZ Catholic newspaper reported.
But that was recently revoked as it was deemed to be inconsistent with the new Act.
Public Prisons Service head Harry Hawthorn said the Act allowed no discretion.
But United Future leader Peter Dunne told the publication the ban appeared to be "another appalling example of political correctness gone mad".
"The last thing Parliament had in mind when passing the legislation in 2004 was banning the celebration of Mass in prisons, and it is stretching logic and common sense beyond any reasonable bounds to imply otherwise," he said.
Banning communion wine was a denial of prisoners' legitimate right to practise religion and he would be raising the matter with the Human Rights Commission.
"The Bill of Rights upholds all New Zealanders' rights to freedom of worship, wherever they may be, and to deny prison inmates the opportunity to go to Mass if they wish is a denial of their basic human rights," he said.
If the decision was allowed to stand it would make a complete mockery of a recent statement on supporting religious diversity, he said.
New Zealand's Catholic bishops are set to discuss the ban on prison Masses at their biannual conference in Auckland next week.
- NZPA
