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UK Bishops’ Document on Homosexuality Praised by Prominent Anti-Catholic Homosexualist

By Hilary White

LONDON, December 2, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Peter Tatchell, the founder of a homosexualist activist group that has specialised in disrupting Catholic Masses, has praised a document produced by the English Catholic Bishops for its “sensitivity” on homosexuality. Speaking on behalf of his organization, OutRage!, Tatchell said the pamphlet by the Marriage and Family Life Project Office of the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales, “challenges” the “outdated, bigoted attitudes” of the Vatican about homosexuality.

Tatchell said the pamphlet’s “sympathetic, understanding message is a big improvement on the stern, uncompromising homophobia of most Vatican pronouncements on homosexuality.

“It reflects the growing acceptance of loving, loyal, long-term same-sex relationships by grassroots Catholics.”

He continued, “I hope the Catholic Church in England and Wales will encourage the Vatican to adopt this leaflet for use by Catholic dioceses worldwide. Its broader dissemination would help counteract the ignorance and prejudice that exists among many clergy and laity.”

Entitled, “What is life like if you or someone in your family is gay or lesbian in their sexual orientation? ... and what can your parish family do to make a difference?” the pamphlet employs the language of the homosexualist political movement, recommending “bidding” or intercessory prayers for use at Mass thanking God for the “gift of sexuality.” It includes quotes complaining, “The continual message from the church is that homosexuality is so, so dreadful. Our gay son just hasn’t stood a chance.” Another asserts, “My brother is gay; the church has been very intolerant of him.”

It instructs pastors to “check the local school policies on bullying and equality” and warns them “not to assume that everyone is heterosexual” and to “reflect this in language and conversation.”

Damian Thompson, editor of the Catholic Herald and a blogger at the Daily Telegraph website, said that “some gay activists linked to the Bishops' Conference will be delighted” by Tatchell’s endorsement.

“The bishops, on the other hand,” Thompson said, “spend a lot of time trying to pretend that their teaching is identical to that of the Holy Father. How embarrassing for them that Peter Tatchell has revealed the vast gulf between Eccleston Square and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.”

To contact the Marriage and Family Life Project Office:

Bishop John Hine
39 Eccleston Square,
London, England,
SW1V 1BX


Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

English Catholic Bishops’ Pamphlet on Pastoral Care of Homosexuals Pushes Gay Lobby Agenda
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08112602.html

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