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File this one in the "Absolutely Crazy" folder: Belgium's brand new Catholic Archbishop, Monsignor André-Joseph Léonard, recently shared this elegant, Solomonic analogy via a national television broadcast:
"Homosexuality is not the same as normal sex in the same way that anorexia is not a normal appetite."What a wonderful introductory lesson to impart to Belgium's estimated 7+ million Catholics.
As someone who attended Catholic school for more than 10 years, I can't say that I ever heard any of my teachers compare eating disorders and being gay. That said, I do remember teachers linking being gay to the following:
- Bestiality
- Promiscuity and unassailable lust
- Tragic susceptibility to disease
What is it with these people? As a corrective, I would love to see some influential Catholic leader or community call out Archbishop's Léonard's brazen ignorance. There are countless devout Catholics who know that their LGBT brothers and sisters aren't "disordered." It's imperative that these folks stand on the side of love and human dignity and hold their religious representatives accountable whenever they say something stupid.
(Thanks to Michael Jones at Change.org for bringing this story to our attention.)
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It embarrassed me to see what ignorance and hatred this particular person who happens to be Catholic displayed. The Catholic church has a long tradition of a commitment to social justice issues.
How frustrating to witness when any Christian strays away from the founding messages of Christ: Love, Compassion, Acceptance, Equality, Kindness, and Service. Anyone who preaches message like this that are thinly veiling ignorance, hatred, and violence is not following the original teachings and should take a good, hard look at themselves!
It's disgusting, why are they able to get away with these things?!?!