Religious freedom in Australia is at a turning point as the country faces a referendum on same-sex marriage, a leading Catholic prelate has warned.

Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney issued his warning about the implications for freedom of religion should the nation give approval for a proposed redefinition of marriage.

Addressing the Centre for Independent Studies, Archbishop Fisher stated that already there are clear indications of a future in which faith communities are punished for their deeply held beliefs.

“Many clergy and teachers in faith-based schools have been cowed with threats of prosecution for ‘hate speech’ if they teach that divine law limits marriage to people of opposite sex,” he said. “There are also actions pending against evangelical Christian and Maronite Catholic business owners for failing to provide photography, stretch limousine and hospitality services for ‘gay weddings’.”

The Archbishop added that while no-one had a monopoly on closed-mindedness on the issue of same-sex marriage, he perceived that in the current debate “the refusal to listen is presently mostly on one side. Advocates of gay marriage seem to think no reasonable person could think other than as they do; that not only are they right on this issue, but that their opponents are irrational and operating out of blind traditionalism or, more likely, hatred.”

By way of underpinning his warning, Archbishop Fisher went on to reference the case in America of the Oregon-based bakers, Sweet Cakes by Melissa, who face financial ruin after their refusal to supply a cake for a same-sex wedding based on religious grounds.

“The baker couple faced vilification, boycotts of their business, violent protests and even death threats, and were forced to close their shop and work from home,” he said, adding that the same-sex marriage drive was becoming a test of democracy.

“Democracy degenerates into despotism when it licenses such vilification of people’s conscientious beliefs,” he said.