The last remaining Roman Catholic adoption agency to resist Labour’s equality laws is facing closure, after the charity watchdog ruled that it could not avoid considering same-sex couples as potential parents. Catholic Care had been given hope earlier this year that it could get around the controversial anti-discrimination rules that forced other agencies either to close down or sever their links with the church. In March a High Court judge had ordered that the Charity Commission consider whether to allow the agency's request to continue refusing to consider same-sex parents, thanks to a loophole intended to protect homosexual charities. Catholic Care had argued that a clause inserted to ensure gay organisations could not be sued for discrimination, entitled it to change its ‘charitable objects’. But in a judgement published on Thursday, the quango has ruled that it will still not allow Catholic Care to restrict its services to heterosexuals only. (See also Prayer Alert 1110 & 2010) Pray: that even at this late stage the authorities would reconsider. (Pr.21:30)