Rocco Buttiglione, Italian European Affairs minister, who was a nominee for the post of European Union's Justice and Home Affairs commissioner, has been rejected by the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) after he publicly testified that homosexuality is a sin and gays should not be given special rights.

Mr Buttiglione, an Italian philosophy professor and a devoted Catholic, was widely expected to be confirmed in the post. However, the panel finally turned him down by a 27-26 vote.

Mr Buttiglione protested that he had been the victim of "prejudices against his moral and religious convictions", claiming that Left-wing MEPs had twisted his words to portray him as a "homophobe and misogynist".

However, Mr Buttiglione was strongly defended by José Manuel Barroso, the new European commission President. The biggest political group in the parliament, the centre-right European People's party/European Democrats, which has embraced UK Conservatives, also gave “total and utter" support to Mr Buttiglione, saying he had "all the integrity to do the job".

While Mr Buttiglione comes to terms with how to accept the debatable decision made by the MEPs, he continued to insist on his Catholic faith, "I will not prostitute my conscience ... I'm not going to sell [my ideas] short for a post as a commissioner."

"My commission is very liberal on that matter [sexual orientation]. We believe in and respect different sexual orientations. There will be no discrimination with regard to that point," he clarified.

The vote proved to be a stormy discussion in Italy. Mirko Tremaglia, Minister for Italians abroad, considered that by the decision the European Union had shown itself to be secularised. He said: "Unfortunately, Buttiglione has lost. Poor Europe - the queers are in the majority."