Higher orders

The Archbishop of Glasgow Mario Conti.
Photograph: Roger Donovan/PA
"The duty to obey one's conscience is a higher duty than that of obeying orders."

Thus spake the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow, Mario Conti, in defence of nine firefighters who refused, at least partly on religious grounds, to distribute fire safety leaflets at a gay pride event and were disciplined by their bosses at Strathclyde Fire and Rescue as a result.

The archbishop's lofty statement did not cut much ice with fire chiefs anxious to ensure that their staff inform as many people as possible about fire prevention measures.

But it was a reminder of how religion has been used as a justification for treating gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people differently in the public sphere.