Archbishop Mario Conti condemned the “alarming” decision by the largest fire service in Scotland to send its staff to diversity training after they disobeyed orders at the Pride Scotia festival on June 24.

The group of firefighters from Strathclyde Fire and Rescue (SFR) — five of whom are Catholic — refused to man the information stall in George Square as hundreds took part in the celebrations.

Some said it contradicted their religious beliefs, while others said they felt embarrassed and vulnerable wearing a fireman’s uniform at a gay rally.

Gay rights groups said yesterday that the response from the Catholic Church in Scotland was hysterical and homophobic.

Earlier, Archbishop Conti, who has previously riled the gay community with his opposition to civil partnerships and the removal of the infamous Section 28 outlawing the teaching of homosexuality in schools, said he understood the reasons for their boycott.

He said: “They were asked, while in uniform, to hand out leaflets during a demonstration where they had legitimate concerns about being the subject of taunts and jokes and in which, in some cases, their religious sensibilities would have been grossly offended by people dressed as priests and nuns lampooning the Church.

“That the officers concerned are being forced to undergo ‘diversity training’ is alarming. The duty to obey one’s conscience is a higher duty than that of obeying orders.”

However, Andy Forrest, spokesman for Stonewall, said Archbishop Conti had no place commenting on the issue.

He said: “The Church has no role to play in something which is a disciplinary matter, in terms of people refusing to do their job.

“If they had refused to hand out leaflets at a mosque or a church there would have been justifiable outrage. It is as if having a faith makes you exempt from doing certain things you don’t like about your job. That is unreasonable.

“There would have been all types of people on the march who also pay their taxes and are therefore entitled to public services.”

One of the men involved, a watch manager, was reduced to the rank of crew manager, losing an estimated £5,000 in salary, while the others have all received official written warnings about their behaviour. The men, from Cowcaddens fire station, are deciding whether to appeal against the decision.

In response to the criticism of Archbishop Conti’s comments, Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland, said the disciplinary action was excessive, insisting that Strathclyde Fire and Rescue had asked staff to go beyond the remit of their public duties. He added: “This is a larger issue of human rights, freedom of conscience and freedom of religious expression.

“Obviously, if a gay bar was on fire, nobody would defend it if firefighters said they weren’t going. That is part of their job, but this is a step beyond the remit.

“It is a matter of fact that members of the fire service have been the subject of unwanted attention and sexual harassment. I have heard of gay bars where the clientele make hoax calls and clamber on the engines. Whoever manages to kiss a fireman on the lips gets a free drink.”

A spokesman for Strathclyde Fire and Rescue said he did not know of any such incidents.

Alan Forbes said: “If anyone had felt they were being harassed, then they were allowed to walk away.

“It was explained to them they were not going to take part. They were going to promote safety, as the service has done before at a number of community events.”

He added that the men disobeyed orders by distributing leaflets at a distance from the parade, leaving one senior officer to staff the information stall.

In a statement, the SFR, which deals with more than half of all fires in Scotland, said that their actions represented a “fundamental breach of their core responsibilities”.

It went on: “Firefighters cannot, and will not, pick and choose to whom they offer fire safety advice. Strathclyde Fire and Rescue has a responsibility to protect every one of the 2.3 million people it serves, irrespective of race, religion or sexuality.”

Chris Bryant, the openly gay Labour MP for Rhondda and a former priest of the Church of England, said: “I look forward to the day that the Catholic Church says unambiguously that it is homophobic and wrong to discriminate against homosexuals.”

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