Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly has stepped into the row over the decision by Scottish prosecutors to caution Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc after he crossed himself during an Old Firm match.
The Catholic Church in Scotland has already condemned the decision to caution the Pole for a breach of the peace after he crossed himself in a February match against Rangers at Ibrox.
Kelly, a practising Catholic and a member of the Catholic Opus Dei organisation, said she was “surprised” at the decision by Scottish prosecutors.
“I must say I am surprised because this has traditionally been a country which has valued religious diversity - and cultural and racial diversity as well - and where there has been freedom of expression, both to express religious symbols but also other cultural symbols as well," she told the BBC News 24 Sunday programme.
Critics warned that Kelly risked inflaming a row over religious bigotry in Scottish football by becoming involved in the row yesterday.
A spokesman for the Catholic Church told the Scottish Sunday Herald that they are seeking clarification from the Crown Office on “whether or not it deems the sign of the cross to be an offensive action which is the equivalent of gratuitous hand gestures”.
“This is not simply a Catholic issue but a human rights issue,” said the spokesman. “Freedom of religion is part of the UN Declaration on Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights.”
The Crown Office defended its decision to caution Boruc, 26, saying that the decision was based on his general behaviour, which included allegations of gesticulating at and incensing the crowd, rather than for any single act.
It said in a statement that the decision to caution Boruc was taken in “public interest” and that a more minor incident would have been dealt with informally by the police.
Last Friday, Catholic Church spokesman Peter Kearney called the decision to caution Boruc a “worrying and alarming development, especially since the sign of the cross is globally accepted as a gesture of religious reverence.
“It is extremely regrettable that Scotland seems to have made itself one of the few countries in the world where this simply religious gesture is considered an offence.”
The caution does not leave Boruc with a criminal record, although the information about the caution will be retained.