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Amnesty International Supports Anti-Catholic Bigotry During Gay Pride Belfast

By Hilary White

BELFAST, September 11, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Amnesty International participated this year in the homosexualist movement's efforts to insult and vilify the Catholic Church during the Belfast gay pride festival in August. Amnesty's Belfast director has admitted that the group was using the Belfast Pride event to target the Cardinal Archbishop of Riga, Janis Pujats, who has spoken out strongly against the homosexualist movement's efforts in Latvia.

Amnesty International, an ostensibly religiously and politically neutral human rights organisation founded by Catholics, has placed itself squarely in support of the homosexualists in their campaigns against Catholicism, an action that is particularly provocative in Northern Ireland, a country still riven by sectarian divisions.

The organisation posted to their website a photo of a homosexual demonstrator dressed up in mockery of a Catholic cardinal. Amnesty's Northern Ireland Programme Director, Patrick Corrigan, admitted in an email that the group understood the mock cardinal to be directed towards Cardinal Janis Pujats, the archbishop of Riga in Latvia.

In addition to supporting the caricaturing of a Catholic bishop, Amnesty also sponsored a pre-parade lecture by notorious militant British homosexualist campaigner Peter Tatchell.

Writing to Catholic campaigner Gregory Carlin, Patrick Corrigan wrote, "I understand that Mr. MagLochlainn (president of the Northern Ireland Gay Rights Association) may have been making a satirical but serious point about the efforts of the Cardinal of Riga, Janis Pujats to have that city's Pride parade banned by the Latvian government." PA MagLochlainn rode in the parade on a disability scooter adorned with a poster that read, "Love is a human right" and that carried the Amnesty International name and logo.

Cardinal Pujats has been in the crosshairs of the homosexualist movement in Europe since he spoke out strongly against the Gay Pride demonstrations in Latvia. He enraged the movement when, in May 2007, he published a letter in the Latvian newspaper, Ritienda, in which he described homosexual behaviour as "total corruption in the sexual arena" and an "unnatural form of prostitution"; he also condemned the public displays of sexuality that are part of Gay Pride celebrations.

Corrigan's email continued, "As you may or may not be aware, our efforts at Belfast Pride this year were focussed on showing solidarity with the LGBT communities in countries across eastern Europe who are facing discrimination and persecution."

Corrigan also particularly thanked the Mayor of Belfast for his support for the anti-Catholic demonstration. "We are pleased that so many politicians from a broad range of parties supported our campaign on the day and particularly pleased that Belfast's Lord Mayor demonstrated his support for a pluralist society."

Gregory Carlin wrote to the mayor of Belfast, Tom Hartley, objecting that "Amnesty International are harassing and targeting Cardinal Janis Pujats of Riga because his eminence is opposed to public indecency."

Dr. Esmond Birnie, an Ulster Unionist Party politician, has also asked Mayor Hartley why Amnesty is so deeply involved in the Gay Pride demonstrations, given the latter's association with anti-Catholic bigotry.

Birnie objected to Amnesty's having sponsored the lecture by Peter Tatchell, who has recently been in the news accusing the Catholic Church of "covering up" what he claimed was the homosexuality of John Henry Cardinal Newman, the great 19th century Catholic scholar.

Birnie wrote, "Lord Mayor's Office should...never be party to any proceedings which would seek to 'out' the deceased Cardinal Newman as a homosexual or which portray Cardinal of Riga Janis Pujats as a bigot."

"It would for example, be an outrageous slur on both the Catholic Church and one of England's great Catholics for Belfast City Council to be part of any proceedings which sought to accuse the church of grave robbery," he continued.

Carlin is asking the Northern Ireland Parades Commission to impose criteria on parades "which are motivated by 'outside influences' to target the most respected members of the Catholic hierarchy".

Amnesty has come under heavy criticism in recent years for its increasing advocacy for the homosexualist movement as well as for the concept of abortion as a "human right." Many Catholics were dismayed when the organisation began to support anti-life, anti-family and anti-Catholic causes and groups.

Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Latvian Cardinal Warns "Gay" Pride Parade a Foretaste of "True Military" Attack on Nation's Values
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/may/07051105.html

Latvian Cardinal Warns Gay Militancy More Dangerous than Soviet Times
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/aug/05081609.html

It's Official - Amnesty International is Now An Abortion Lobby Group - Catholics Boycott
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/aug/07082001.html

Mainstream Media Slammed for Libelling John Henry Newman as Homosexual
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/sep/08090306.html

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