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Fury as Pope says gays are threat to human existence
Nick Pisa in Rome23 Dec 2008
The Pope was under fire today after saying that saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour was as important as preserving the rainforests from destruction.
He urged people to listen to the “language of creation” to understand the intended roles of man and woman and that behaviour beyond traditional
heterosexual relations was a “destruction of God's work”.
Benedict XVI used his Christmas address to the Curia, the Vatican's central administration, to call on Catholics to protect man from the “destruction of himself”.
The 81-year-old pontiff said tropical rainforests deserved protection and that man as a creature “does not deserve any less”. Italian gay rights group Arcigay hit out at the comments, with its president Aurelio Mancuso saying: “It strikes us that while Italian citizens are tackling one of the worst economic crisis in the history of the country the Catholic church has for weeks talked only of the gay threat the world faces.”
He said “gays have become an obsession” for the Pope who “spends his whole time talking about gender, an argument that geriatrics are passionately obsessed about”.
In Britain, the Rev Sharon Ferguson, chief executive of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, described his remarks as “totally irresponsible and unacceptable in any shape or form”.
She said: “It is more the case that we need to be saved from his comments. It is comments like that that justify homophobic bullying that goes on in schools and it is comments like that that justify gay bashing. There are still so many instances of people being killed around the world, including in Western society, purely and simply because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity.
“When you have religious leaders like that making that sort of statement then followers feel they are justified in behaving in an aggressive and violent way because they feel that they are doing God's work in ridding the world of these people.”
Mark Dowd, campaign strategist at Operation Noah, the Christian environmental group, who is gay and a former Dominican friar, said the Pope's remarks were “understandable but misguided and unfortunate”.
The Catholic Church teaches that homosexual orientation is not a sin but homosexual acts are. It opposes civil partnerships and gay marriage. The Pope has said that homosexual inclination was not a sin, but it represented a “more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil”.
Earlier this month gay rights activist Peter Tatchell welcomed a leaflet from the Catholic Church in England and Wales urging greater respect towards gay people.
Reader views (13)
In light of the damage that has been done to human relationships by feuding factions of organized religion, and by the Catholic Church in particular, I would have thought that the Pope might focus on repairing the damage caused by Catholics (Such as sexual abuse perpetrated by Priests) rather than pointing fingers at others. He appears remarkable quiet on that subject, however. Something about "pointing out the splinter in your brother's eye while ignoring the Log in your own"???
- Poppy, Boston, USA, 31/12/2008 15:35
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the pope is an idiot... its a pity so many people listen to what this silly old man has to say
- Revs, London, 23/12/2008 19:32
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Adam, closeted gay man, had a big influence in the 1940's, not very tall, had a funny moustache!!!
That said I couldn't agree more with all the comments here, this world has gay men and women, so what, get on with you life and deal with the real issues.
Organised religion does far more damage than good.
- Liberal Thinker, UK, 23/12/2008 13:01
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What a dreadful thing to say - especially at Christmas, when everyone (religious or not) tries to do their best for others, and concentrate on the good mankind can do.
It's no wonder that the catholic church is shrinking - shame must play a part in that.
- Julesb, London, UK, 23/12/2008 12:58
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If the pope likens a homosexual relationship, which he considers an act against nature, to the actual destruction or nature, then this is a fine illustration of the desperate confusion that exists in religious thought between the abstract and the real. What he is apparently trying to achieve is a kind of objectification of the abstract sinfulness of homosexuality: homosexuality is now immoral in the practical sense that the destruction of rainforests is immoral. I find that this is a rather naive attempt to bypass the problem of producing concrete evidence as to the charge of destructiveness. Once you bridge the gap between the abstract and the concrete, you can argue, or so the logic goes, against symbolic wrongdoing by drawing analogies to actual destructive behaviour. I have previously heard homosexuality been likened to smoking, rape and shoplifting.
- Kalevi, Savonlinna, Finland, 23/12/2008 12:21
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Why are the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities always allowed to be openly vilified without recourse? Maybe the Pope should try cleaning up his own back yard first then lets see how many priests he actually has left to run the Catholic church.
In this day and age hatred like this from such a prominent figure should not be allowed. Perhaps it is the Pope himself who is the 'wound'. We need to all speak up against this and stop allowing ourselves to be belittled.
- Alan Nixon, London, UK, 23/12/2008 12:19
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Surely Catholic priests are the biggest threat of all!
- David Rush, london, 23/12/2008 11:59
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As a gay man I worry about the teachings and views of the church. Its bigotry and narrow minded attitude is based upon a fictional book. I live my life to respect and tolerate others regardless of creed, colour, sexuality etc. He talks of the "destruction of Gods work", where's the proof god did it? Are we sure he didn't use sub-contractors? I find it unbelievable that someone with such an important position like the pope is so narrow minded. He would be alienating most of the staff that work for him!!!!!!!
- Smh1974, UK, 23/12/2008 11:51
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The Pope's Christmas message of hate. He can't open his mouth without denigrating gay and lesbian people and transexuals. Worse than deforestation, more powerful that a speeding locamotive. Look I only want to find love and happiness and love and happiness for my fellow gay men, lesbians and transexuals and all this time I have been destroying the world. Next he will be telling me that every time I have sex a kitten dies.
- David, London, 23/12/2008 11:17
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Dear Pope.
How many homosexuals or transexuals have been responsible for genocide, mass murder or death due to intolerance? None spring to mind.
Now how many popes, bishops or followers of religion have been responsible for the same crimes? Too many to count and we don't need hark back to the middle ages either for examples.
Sexual orientation is no threat to humanity. The greatest threat is this sort of religious intolerance which makes him no better than the mad Mullahs of Islam.
- Adam, Harrow, UK, 23/12/2008 10:43
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It is clear that the world needs saving from the Roman Catholic Church. The damage wrought to many populations in Africa by aids, as a direct consequence of the Catholic anti-condom dogma was already enough of a horror. This attack on a large segment of the world's population by a so-called "Christian" church, shows what a dangerous perverted cult Roman Catholicism is, and demonstrably anti-Christian.
- Ian, Berwick UK, 23/12/2008 10:36
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Methinks the lady doth protest too much!
- Stuart, london uk, 23/12/2008 10:34
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Fine example of Christian tolerance from the usual suspects - Pope and Catholic Church. This really shows them up for what they are
- Sean, Coventry UK, 23/12/2008 10:29
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