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News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyDecember 2nd, 2009
The retired head of the Vatican’s Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care workers is quoted as telling the Ansa news agency that LGBT people “will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan told the news service that “Transsexuals and homosexuals will never enter the kingdom of heaven and it is not me who says this, but Saint Paul.” He also repeated the completely unfounded belief that people become gay or transgender due to “education issues or because they did not develop their own identity during adolescence. It may not be their fault, but acting against nature and the dignity of the human body is an insult to God.”
The Cardinal added that while he believed that homosexuality is a sin, “this does not justify any form of discrimination… We on earth cannot condemn, and as human beings we all have the same rights.”
Roman Catholicism is the largest Christian denomination in Uganda, where the Parliament is considering a bill which would provide the death penalty for those convicted of homosexuality under certain circumstances. So far, the Church has maintained complete silence on the proposed legislation, both inside and outside of Uganda.
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Ben in Oakland
December 2nd, 2009
“and as human beings we all have the same rights.—
except the right to be treated the same as other human beings.
homer
December 2nd, 2009
Let me see if I understand this. An old man who prances around wearing a fancy dress declares that the other men who wear dresses don’t get to go to magical, mystical heaven. Makes absolutely perfect sense to me…
Burr
December 2nd, 2009
“it is not me who says this, but Saint Paul.”
Err.. no it’s you who says it. You don’t have to go by what “Saint” Paul says, and who says a mere mortal like him has the real say? Quite presumptuous.
““this does not justify any form of discrimination…”
Including discrimination against our right to marry? I’m glad you agree!
Oh wait..
KZ
December 2nd, 2009
Interesting that he admits Saint Paul says this. I often hear conservative Christians claiming GOD says this. And I’ve said it before: God may have been talking through Saint Paul or inspiring him to write his letters to the Christians of Rome, Corinthians, Ephesus, etc. but Paul was an immortal man capable of error.
Now if you all excuse me, I’m about to hid in the basement of my house and try my best at shedding some ‘Crocodile Tears’ since the precious Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan believes I’m destined to Hell.
LOL @ homer’s comment!
Alex
December 2nd, 2009
“Transsexuals and homosexuals will never enter the kingdom of heaven and it is not me who says this, but Saint Paul.â€
I wonder what Saint Paul would have said about the Vatican offering protection to boy-raping priests?
Lynn David
December 2nd, 2009
I’ve already been in the sky…. no big deal.
Candace
December 2nd, 2009
“Transsexuals and homosexuals will never enter the kingdom of heaven and it is not me who says this, but Saint Paul.â€
Yeah, except Paul never said that. He said that temple prostitutes, who serviced men in the worship of Canaanite gods, would not enter heaven. He never even mentioned homosexuals. In fact, the word “homosexual” was put there by a Bible translator who disliked gays.
I’m sure the Cardinal knows this, and he also knows that while Paul didn’t say a word about GLBTT people, he DID say that LIARS wouldn’t enter heaven.
So when the good Reverend dies, somebody better put a few Snickers bars in his coffin because he won’t be going anywhere for awhile.
Emily K
December 2nd, 2009
What about Catholic priests who rape kids, are enabled by their own religious order to rape kids, do so for years… …and then “repent” and say 1,000 hail mary’s and our-father’s… and do the cycle all over again? Since they “repented” and “confessed” do they get to go to heaven anyway?
Richard W. Fitch
December 2nd, 2009
@Candace: Minor correction – Paul was speaking about pagan/Roman/Greek temple prostitutes. The Canaanite gods and their temple prostitutes was the target of the injunction in Leviticus. The word homosexual came into parlance about 1850 and was used to translate the passages where ‘sodomite’ had been earlier. Interestingly, the word ‘sodomy/sodomite’ was invented in the 11th century as a parallel to the word blasphemy to describe ‘unnatural’ MM sex based on the faulty exegesis of the infamous story in Genesis.
John
December 2nd, 2009
Well, if homosexuals and transsexuals don’t have a place in heaven, I can’t imagine Catholic bishops and cardinals who aided and abetted rampant physical and sexual abuse against children over the years have much of a chance either. I just hope I don’t end up in the same place as this cardinal in the afterlife. I can’t imagine that I have done anything so bad as to justify that sort of punishment.
Jafuf
December 3rd, 2009
And why are you publishing this statement? Especially when no one cares what this moron says or does. The fact that you’re giving him ‘a voice’ in the media is more insulting to me than any stupid statement he might make.
Jason D
December 3rd, 2009
Jafuf
-In order to fight your enemy, you must first know them, how they think, what they say, how they act. If at any point you think you have them figured out, that you need not pay attention to what they say: you give them an advantage.
-Nothing disinfects quite like sunlight.
-Ignoring problems do not make them go away. In fact, ignoring them gives them a chance to build up the strength needed to overpower them.
-The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.
werdna
December 3rd, 2009
Following on Jason D’s comment… Jafuf, if you look in the upper right-hand corner of this very page you’ll see a description of this blog: “News, analysis and fact-checking of anti-gay rhetoric”.
If you don’t want to be exposed to anti-gay rhetoric, you’d best avert your gaze from much of the discussion here.
----
December 3rd, 2009
In the end, who cares what Paul might have said? He wasn’t one of the Twelve Apostles; in fact, he was an enemy of Christianity until after Jesus’ death. Many argue (including Thomas Jefferson) that he corrupted its teachings.
lenny
December 3rd, 2009
“It may not be their fault, but acting against nature and the dignity of the human body is an insult to God.â€
How “natural” is forced celibacy and where is the dignity of the human body in denial of biological drives such as sex?
Tom
December 3rd, 2009
Supposedly God trumps all – – “Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged” – it’s none of these holy lunatics’ business – God is our Judge! Cardinal or boy rapist – all the same in the catholic church – – even pope nazi!!!
RebLaw
December 3rd, 2009
You know what? I give up. I really do. I tried to be a good little Catholic lesbian, I really have, but I find myself quickly becoming comical.
Ephilei
December 7th, 2009
“Transexuals?” Even he must know he’s just making that up. Or maybe he has no idea what a transexual is, thinking they’re the same as gay people.
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