Borealis

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Aug 12, 2003

Canadian MP Svend Robinson has emerged from six months of fasting and prayer and intense study of the rabbinic, patristic, and scholastic commentary on Leviticus 20 and, with heartfelt regret and seemly reticence, is obliged to confess he cannot align himself with Cardinal Ratzinger's conclusions on the subject.

As an elected member of the House of Commons, I am saddened by the recent attempts of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, in the Vatican and in Canada, to bully and threaten MPs on the issue of same-sex marriage. And I am angered by Archbishop Fred Henry of Calgary's statement that the Prime Minister risks eternal damnation for his stand. As a gay man, involved in a committed, loving relationship with my partner, Max, for almost a decade, I am disgusted by the language of vilification and condemnation in the recent statement issued by the Vatican on this subject, denouncing me and other gay and lesbian people as "evil," "deviant," "immoral," "intrinsically disordered" and "depraved" if we do not live by the priests' vows of chastity.

I'll go out on a limb and admit that I suspect that Max feels the same way as Svend.

How dare they utter such hateful lies in the face of their own history -- of real abuse inflicted on hundreds and hundreds of children in parishes around the world, abuse covered up, denied and still not fully atoned for to this day?

Let's see if I have this right. The Church is wrong about what Svend does to Max. Here's the proof: she has brought ignominy on herself through those priests who agree with Svend (but happened to hit on a mini-Max). Other institutions are held responsible for the crimes of those who concur with their program; the Church is blameworthy for the crimes committed in defiance of her teaching. Any further questions?