John Ashcroft
01-22-2004, 08:17 AM
A Belgian cardinal who is a protégé of the Pope denounced gays and lesbians as "sexual perverts" yesterday and appeared to ridicule the principle of one man, one vote, causing deep embarrassment to the Catholic Church.
"I am prepared to sign here in my blood that of all those who say they are lesbian or gay, at most five to 10 per cent are effectively lesbian or gay. All the rest are sexual perverts," said Cardinal Gustaaf Joos.
"I demand you write this down. If they come to protest on my doorstep, I don't care. I'm just speaking out on what thousands of people are thinking but never get a chance to say," he told the Belgian soft-porn P-Magazine.
"Real homosexuals don't wander in the streets in colourful suits. Those are people who have a serious problem and have to live with that. And if they err, they will be forgiven," he said.
He expressed contempt for Belgian politicians who had pushed through some of the world's most radical laws on gay marriages, euthanasia, and abortion.
"Politics, democracy. Don't make me laugh. The right to vote, what is that all about? I find it strange that a snot-nosed, 18-year-old has the same vote as a father of seven. One has no responsibilities whatsoever, the other provides tomorrow's citizens," he said.
It is the first time a leading cleric has appeared to endorse calls by Right-wing Catholics for an end to the principle of one person, one vote.
Belgium's bishops' conference tried to calm the furore as the country's media seized on the comments, saying the cardinal's personal views did not reflect Church policy.
The hierarchy has no power to sanction Cardinal Joos, 80, who was plucked from obscurity in October by the Pope to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his pontificate.
The two men met in Rome, where the young Polish priest was given a scholarship by a Belgian institute after the Second World War. Cardinal Joos spent most of his career as a parish priest near Ghent before being elevated.
The cardinal also appeared to endorse visits to a brothel, in extremis. "If a man thinks he needs sex or is going to explode, it is better to find a prostitute than seduce or rape a girl. At least there are no innocent victims involved," he said. But he warned that those who indulged their physical lust were doomed to an unhappy life.
Let's analyze this particular statement, shall we? "I am prepared to sign here in my blood that of all those who say they are lesbian or gay, at most five to 10 per cent are effectively lesbian or gay." So does this mean the Catholic Church is now considering homosexuality a genetic issue rather than mere choice? Discuss...
Link: here (http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/01/22/wcard22.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/01/22/ixworld.html/news/2004/01/22/wcard22.xml)
"I am prepared to sign here in my blood that of all those who say they are lesbian or gay, at most five to 10 per cent are effectively lesbian or gay. All the rest are sexual perverts," said Cardinal Gustaaf Joos.
"I demand you write this down. If they come to protest on my doorstep, I don't care. I'm just speaking out on what thousands of people are thinking but never get a chance to say," he told the Belgian soft-porn P-Magazine.
"Real homosexuals don't wander in the streets in colourful suits. Those are people who have a serious problem and have to live with that. And if they err, they will be forgiven," he said.
He expressed contempt for Belgian politicians who had pushed through some of the world's most radical laws on gay marriages, euthanasia, and abortion.
"Politics, democracy. Don't make me laugh. The right to vote, what is that all about? I find it strange that a snot-nosed, 18-year-old has the same vote as a father of seven. One has no responsibilities whatsoever, the other provides tomorrow's citizens," he said.
It is the first time a leading cleric has appeared to endorse calls by Right-wing Catholics for an end to the principle of one person, one vote.
Belgium's bishops' conference tried to calm the furore as the country's media seized on the comments, saying the cardinal's personal views did not reflect Church policy.
The hierarchy has no power to sanction Cardinal Joos, 80, who was plucked from obscurity in October by the Pope to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his pontificate.
The two men met in Rome, where the young Polish priest was given a scholarship by a Belgian institute after the Second World War. Cardinal Joos spent most of his career as a parish priest near Ghent before being elevated.
The cardinal also appeared to endorse visits to a brothel, in extremis. "If a man thinks he needs sex or is going to explode, it is better to find a prostitute than seduce or rape a girl. At least there are no innocent victims involved," he said. But he warned that those who indulged their physical lust were doomed to an unhappy life.
Let's analyze this particular statement, shall we? "I am prepared to sign here in my blood that of all those who say they are lesbian or gay, at most five to 10 per cent are effectively lesbian or gay." So does this mean the Catholic Church is now considering homosexuality a genetic issue rather than mere choice? Discuss...
Link: here (http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/01/22/wcard22.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/01/22/ixworld.html/news/2004/01/22/wcard22.xml)