In 2004, Catholics in Europe received an alarming wake-up call when the Italian Rocco Buttiglione was turned down for a European Commission post after having said that he would defend the rights of gays despite considering homosexual acts to be sinful. Could a Christian with traditional beliefs in this field, and others, take up a public role in international organisations?
It is therefore surprising that 12 years later António Guterres, a practising Catholic with a pro-life track record and no hint of pro-LGBT positions, could be acclaimed Secretary-General of the United Nations with hardly a complaint from the usual lobbies. Even among UN staff in New York, whom he impressed with his campaign, his religious beliefs were not an issue.
