Brussels says churches must lift ban on employing homosexuals
EU decides British government was wrong to allow exemptions
under equality law  The government is being forced by the
European commission to rip up controversial exemptions that
allow church bodies to refuse to employ homosexual staff.  It
has emerged that the commission wrote to the government last
week raising concerns that the UK had incorrectly implemented an
EU directive prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of a
person's sexual orientation.  The ruling follows a complaint
from the National Secular Society, which argued that the opt-
outs went further than was permitted under the directive and had
created "illegal discrimination against homosexuals".   The
highly unusual move means that the government now has no choice
but to redraft anti-discrimination laws, which is likely to
prompt a furore among church groups.  In anticipation of a
possible backlash from the commission, the government has
already inserted new clauses into its equality