Church opposes considering homosexuality a crime, spokesman says

[rug]

Father Lombardi, in his latest comments to reporters, said the Vatican was not conducting a battle against the United Nations or weakening its opposition to discrimination against homosexuals, which is clearly stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

"There is no question that the church is contrary to legislation that criminalizes homosexuality," Father Lombardi said.

The church's position stems from its respect for the rights and dignity of every person, and explicitly excludes "any unjust discrimination on the basis of homosexuality," Father Lombardi said.

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0806209.htm

[pnwmom]

1. Thank you for posting this. I disagree strongly with the Church's opposition

to gay marriage, but I'm tired of people selectively posting things here that caricature the Church's position (saying that the Church supports the death sentence for gay people, etc.)

[nichomachus]

5. By the way

fuck the Catholic Church. Murderous bastards.

[BlooInBloo]

2. It's nice to know that they're not QUITE as evil as they could possibly be.

[ZombieHorde]

3. Good.

[autorank]

4. More superstition bull shit. What's that about getting stoned or

was that throwing stones. Oh well.

[rug]

6. Just can't help yourself.

[moobu2]

7. Lombardi is the Vatican’s chief public relations pro

His job is to shape public opinion on issues concerning the Vatican. Lombardi and his staff probably worked on this PR satement for days maybe longer.

The Vatican still doesn’t support “a UN declaration to endorse the universal decriminalization of homosexuality”, when in a lot of countries today, they know the punishment for being homosexual is death by hanging, decapitation, stoning to death and so forth. They don’t support the declaration because of their fear that gay’s might extend marriage recognition to countries that don’t recognize them now.

In the past the Pope has called gay marriage an intrinsic evil.

It does look like the Vatican would rather see gays killed than see them married.

[trotsky]

8. Details, shmetails.

This PR ploy is evidently enough to convince liberal Catholics that by golly, the church is A-OK with homosexuality and those stupid Catholic-haters who keep saying otherwise should just SHUT UP!

[rug]

10. That's a remarkably stupid spin.

[trotsky]

11. Thank you for the insightful reasoning!

With your argument laid out so convincingly, I just don't see how anyone is justified believing otherwise. :eyes:

[moggie]

9. Let's see them act on that position, then

If they're so against "unjust discrimination on the basis of homosexuality", why don't they work with the sponsors of the proposed UN declaration to come up with wording which they'd find acceptable?

But wait: isn't this the same Vatican which recently decided that gays aren't fit to be priests, unjustly linking homosexuality to their ongoing problem with paedophiles?

[moobu2]

13. Notice the phrasing of that direct quote?

"The church's position stems from its respect for the rights and dignity of every person, and explicitly excludes "any unjust discrimination on the basis of homosexuality," Father Lombardi said."

It could conceivably mean that there are instances when discrimination is justified. Why didnt he just say the church was against 'any' discrimination on the basis of homosexuality? Looks like this phrasing was intentional to sound like something it isnt.

[trotsky]

14. If you read carefully,

the "unjust discrimination on the basis of homosexuality" they're worried about is the international pressure (i.e., discrimination) that rabidly anti-homosexual (i.e., religious) nations might feel should that UN resolution pass.

[Name removed]

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