Rome gay priest 'scandal' is politics at its most deadly
Posted on Saturday, July 24, 2010 at 07:55 PM
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This week Italian current affairs magazine Panorama ran an expose on a 'scandal' involving two gay Italian priests and one French priest.
Panorama claims the French priest 'celebrated Mass in the morning before driving two male escorts he hired to attend a party the night before to the airport.'
So far, so self-deluded. Closet-cases, like the poor, are always with us.
The story was printed in Panorama, the conservative weekly news magazine owned by Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister.
As others have noted, Berlusconi may have an axe to grind, since his own romps with half dressed women half his age were loudly criticized by the Church.
Many critics suggest that Berlusconi's target isn't gay priests, it's really the man in the red shoes, since the Vatican knows all about its gay priests and had no intention of addressing the thorny issue until Panorma forced them to.
So why is this a story? Because for centuries the Church has used homosexuality to gain traction into everyone's sex lives (gay and straight); and Berlusconi, critics say, is using homosexuality to gain traction over the Church.
These deadly games are played right over the heads of the little people, the gay men that both players condemn. Gay people are just pawns in a much bigger conflict. The real prize is gaining wider influence and scalping your powerful enemy.
Of course they'd never say that, because there's no need.
I have no sympathy for gay priests, in fact I hold them in contempt. They're gay men who oppress other gay men whilst privately practicing what they publicly preach against. There's no shortage of such people, unfortunately.
You can see why they're tempted, too. Homosexual priests want all of the perks of that supremely powerful international men's club, the Catholic Church - and none of the consequences.
Evangelicals like Ted Haggard know all about it, so do quack psychologists like George Rekers. Sooner or later they're all hoisted on the own petards.
The closet breeds pathology, it's undeniable now. Gay men who can't or won't admit the most basic truth of their own existence can be a substantial threat to others as much as themselves. Worse, their hypocrisy makes them vulnerable to scandal, blackmail and coercion.
The surprisingly high numbers of gay priests in the Church highlight an aspect of Catholicism that in our age may have become its defining characteristic: 'omerta,' the official code of silence, as prevalent in the Church these days as it is in the Mafia.
The rules are simple: you must publicly say one thing in order to privately do something else, and whatever you say, say nothing - and for God's sake, don't get caught.
The truth is we'll have to prise homophobia from the Church's cold dead hands, and the same is true for every other venal conservative politician with a grudge. As a weapon it's just too politically useful to both parties.
Meanwhile, Panorama ran this story with a homophobic cover picture that says it all: pink fingernail polish on hands clutching rosary beads. Pink for pansies.
Public antagonism toward gay people is politically useful, just ask the Constitutional Amendment seeking George Bush, the score-settling Berlusconi or the look-the-other-way when it's wiser Benedict.
It won't stop until the majority of straight people figure out that their prejudices are being manipulated for someone else's gain.
33 comments
2BorNot2B | Jul 25, 2010, 03:25 PM EDT
Probably the best way to counter articles like this one is to rubut them paragraph by paragraph because the authors, while they engage in innuendo and supposition with a definite agenda against the CC and the Pope, they provide not an iota of proof for their reckless and definitely biased claims. -- For instance, this guy O'Doherty says: "Many critics suggest that Berlusconi's target isn't gay priests, it's really the man in the red shoes, since the Vatican knows all about its gay priests and had no intention of addressing the thorny issue until Panorma forced them to." -- Sir, is your claim that the Pope knows about the behaviour of these despicable and ungodly men, and he just lets the situation fester??? -- If you have a shred of evidence for your claim then provide it; if NOT, then you should not pretend you are reporting but just simply attacking and providing an outlet for all Catholic haters who visit this website to pile it on!
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ThomasCoolberth | Jul 25, 2010, 03:19 PM EDT
This is wholly about doctrine. The priests need to accept doctrine and live it out or reconsider their vocation. The Church is the Bride of Christ and in the same way, priests are married to her (too.) So, there's a basic fidelity issue there.
St Paul Letter to the Romans and other Old Testament tracts clearly lay out what the Church's only possible position is.
The bottom line, tow the line, or take a hike.
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glorybe1929 | Jul 25, 2010, 02:45 PM EDT
I have read some of the best explanations about the RCC in these comments. Good for all of you for coming forward. It( the RCC) is and always has been NOT of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are no longer fooled by these evil men in sheeps clothing,"The fox guarding the hen house"so to speak. The "holey" people. The narcisists in long flowing robes. We really fell for this line of the Devil.
When you put yourself first, before the Lord, you're bound to be following anything but the LORD JC.
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lwhayer | Jul 25, 2010, 02:01 PM EDT
To me, sexual orientation should be viewed as irrelevant. Celibacy (and chastity) in the Roman Catholic Church started as an economic issue about widows of priests inheriting church property. Somehow it became religious. Pedophilia is a separate issue and should be treated as any other child abuse.
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Ms.Gail | Jul 25, 2010, 01:37 PM EDT
It is no one else's business what a priest's sexual orientation as long as he is celebate.
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MaryM232 | Jul 25, 2010, 01:22 PM EDT
This issue shouldn't be exploited for agenda, ideology isn't a human being, and it's a cold and bloodless one that isn't in aid of human rights, but in exploiting them. Let's make something very clear. These gay priests, and gay activists demanding to control the discussion aren't any different. I used to support gay rights, until I woke up to the extremists in the gay "rights" movement who are demanding what they would decry if the shoe was on the other foot, that everyone conform to their desires.
Gays have no business in the Catholic priesthood, because they do not believe in Christ's teachings, it's as simple as that. There is no right to enter religious orders. Gay activists attack the church to force it to sublimate itself to extremist gay ideology. These gay activists have acted shamefully, since the sex abuse scandal began. In Boston, one has funded suits against the church, exploiting the suffering of children who had been molested, and only did so to use the suits to attack the church when it brought up the problems of same sex child molestation coming about because of homosexual pedophiles who have entered the priest hood. These activists lie, claiming that homosexuals can never be pedophiles, which flies in the face of science. In fact, the only pedophile activist groups are homosexual. There is NAMBLA, and their lesbian counterpart, though I won't type it's name because it's offensive, though you can google to find it. The newest is from Brazil, where the homosexual community are demanding a universal "human" right to molest little boys.
Gays and lesbians have an obligation to speak out against gays and lesbians who seek some false right to rape and molest children, if they are incapable of recognizing that fact, and unwilling to do so, what they reveal is there is something unnatural about them, because no decent human being condones the exploitation of children.
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AmAncINED | Jul 25, 2010, 01:15 PM EDT
My great-aunt has been a life-long nun. She tells me that there was always lesbian activity in every convent she ever lived in - sometimes rampant. Everyone pretended not to know about it. The nuns thought there was gay activity going on inside rectories among priests. I also knew a 19 yr. old girl who was "dating" a 33 yr. old priest on the sly. When she got pregnant, the priest disappeared from her life. Then there was the priest who rented a room at the Y every Tuesday from noon to 1:00. Within minutes a man arrived and went to that room. My mother-in-law worked there and recognized them as priests from parishes in the city - not hers. It seems like there's been "activity" going on, both straight and gay, among priests and nuns for a long time. The Church can make laws but they don't seem to be able to enforce them when it comes to sex among the hierarchy. The course of action has been to deny, deny, deny. As an RN, I know that many women are getting Aids & STDs from their husbands who are on the "down-low."
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Bonniekara | Jul 25, 2010, 11:14 AM EDT
Makes the whole "Impure Thoughts" and "Secret Hateful Thoughts Regarding Sister Mary Clara's Veil Coming Loose in the Wind and Showing the World She's Really Bald" sins seem pretty tame.
re: the Catholic Church and Gay Priests. The sin is the LIE, not the being born a Homo.
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mrkennedy | Jul 25, 2010, 11:00 AM EDT
I see so many articles say "the high numbers of gay priests. What is high, 1 out of a hundred, 10 out of 10,000 or 1,000 out of 100,000? I would like to see a poll taken of how many heterosexual priests vs homosexual priests are in the Catholic Church. I would also like to see the numbers for Protestant clergy or Jewish rabbies.
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hollabackgurl | Jul 25, 2010, 10:54 AM EDT
The homophobic comments that are clearly unrelated to this article have been flagged for removal.
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Intercessor | Jul 25, 2010, 10:50 AM EDT
The Church has intentionally constructed a model whereby it is acceptable for 2, 3, or 4 men to live together in a rectory, without any questions being asked in regard to the morality of the situation or whether or not these men are really living out a celibate promise. As a result, homosexuality is probably rampant. In one specific parish in which our family worshipped, it was revealed that the head priest was having affairs with teenage girls and his associate was diddling young boys. All these priests had to do was "to confess to each other!" Presto! The problem was solved! Both sins were covered under the Sacrament of Confession, which meant that they were assured that one wouldn't "turn the other in" or tell the bishop. And it was another form of mutual blackmail, which effectively kept the secret within the parish family and allowed for other children to be abused. The Roman Catholic Church has purposely constructed an open platform for both homosexuality and other sexual sins to flourish. It was no accident. The bishops knew what they were doing from the start: Protecting the priesthood but denying all forms of being complicit in the problem.
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SingleDonald | Jul 25, 2010, 10:11 AM EDT
A sensitive subject, to be certain!
I must agree with Southernpride. Every year I donate blood, where I work. A question always asked, on the form, is whether you are a man, who has had sex, with another man. Homosexuals are clear health risks, and thus are barred from donating blood.
I don't feel that gays should be discriminated against, in jobs, housing, or be subject to homophobic taunts. However, I concede that their behavior, in private, disgusts me. Tolerance should be given to them, but I believe they will never be accepted into mainstream American, or any society. Maybe gay centers, such as San Francisco, or Madison, Wisconsin are the answer. If gay people go there, they can likely be accepted, much more so than in regular communities. I understand that straight people are NOT resented there either, so everyone can live in harmony. That is, if you are a heterosexual who can accept open displays of homosexual and lesbian affection.
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JimThompson | Jul 25, 2010, 10:00 AM EDT
Always thought that priests should be aqble to marry. Perhaps more hetrosexual men would join the priesthood if they did. A man's religious beliefs should not forbid him from being normal in hias sex life.
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CitizenWhy | Jul 25, 2010, 09:47 AM EDT
The moral dividing line today is: defense of human right versus religious opposition to human rights. The Church is on the wrong side in regard to women and gays.
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