MP hits out at Cardinal O’Brien over gays

the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, who hit out at the “madness” of the government’s gay marriage plans, has been accused of “scaremongering”.

Cardinal Keith O’Brien had accused the coalition of trying to “redefine reality” and claimed the proposals were a “grotesque subversion of a universally accepted human right”.

But his comments were roundly criticised yesterday amid fears the outburst would fuel prejudice.

Cardinal O’Brien wrote: “Same-sex marriage would eliminate entirely in law the basic idea of a mother and a father for every child. It would create a society which deliberately chooses to deprive a child of either a mother or a father.”

Margot James, the first openly lesbian Conservative MP, criticised the “apocalyptic language” used by the cardinal and accused him of “scaremongering”

“I think it is a completely unacceptable way for a prelate to talk,” she said.