A key European Parliament committee today narrowly rejected Italian Mr Rocco Buttiglione as the EU's next justice and security commissioner after he recently described homosexuality as a sin.
Mr Buttiglione, a devout Roman Catholic who has had private audiences with the Pope, is currently Italy's European affairs minister. He told a parliamentary confirmation hearing last week that he considered homosexuality a sin and said he believed marriage should mean women must give up work to rear children
Concern about Mr Buttiglione's suitability as a justice commissioner deepened when he told a parliament committee he would oppose legislative proposals that ran counter to his moral convictions.
Although not binding, the opinion of the Civil Liberties Committee is an embarrassing blow for incoming European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who will now face pressure to rejig his team before it takes office on November 1st.
Mr Giusto Catania, a communist deputy and member of the EU legislature's committee, said Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had made a mistake in nominating Mr Buttligione.
"Barroso must listen to the parliament because [it] ... does not want Buttligone as European Commissioner."
The committee voted by 27 to 26 against his nomination as commission vice-president and commissioner for justice, liberty and security. In a second vote, the committee members were asked if they would favour Mr Buttiglione as a commissioner were he given a different portfolio. The vote on this was 28 against and 25 in favour.
Liberal and left-wing politicians voiced outrage at Mr Buttiglione's comments. But the conservative European People's Party - of which the Italian's Democratic Union of the Centre party (UDC) is a member - defended him.
"The vote against Buttiglione is an expression of prejudice. We reject it on two grounds, as Catholics who respect values and as liberals who are custodians of the freedom of opinion," UDC Secretary Mr Marco Follini said in a statement.
The parliament has no formal power to reject individual commissioners. Parliament will vote on Mr Barroso's proposed commission on October 27th. However, some MEPs have been pushing for a virtual veto, demanding that Mr Barroso pledge to seek the resignation of any commissioner who loses the assembly's confidence.