Vatican Divorces Italian Parliment Over Gays

After the Vatican refused to sign the proposal approved by the United Nations declaring the decriminalization homosexuality, the Holy See has now announced that the Italian laws are:

Too numerous and unstable to work with

As of yesterday, laws passed by the Italian Parliament will be considered on an individual basis before adopting them as the Vatican’s.  The Vatican’s residents are obviously pissed off that the Italian government views homosexuals as human.

Although the Vatican is an independent state, residents of the Vatican are recognized as Italian citizens.

Vatican Opposes Decriminalization of Gays

Pope Benedict’s envoy to the United Nations which includes Archbishop Celestino Migliore, has announced the Vatican will oppose a U.N. proposition aimed at ending discrimination against homosexuals. Although it really comes as no surprise that the Catholic Church is in disagreement with gay rights activists, it is tragic in this case because the French-sponsored proposal (which has the backing of all 27 European Union countries) calls for an end to criminalizing and punishing people for their sexual orientation, which in the most severe cases, as in Iran and Saudi Arabia, homosexuality can be punished by death.

Father Federico Lombardi, a papal spokesperson commented that the Vatican condemns the use of the death penalty for any crime, including those associated with homosexuality but insisted the Vatican’s opposition to the U.N. proposal was driven by concern that countries that prohibit gay marriage would somehow be targeted.

“Countries that don’t recognize the union between people of the same sex as marriage will be punished and pressured.”

However, the U.N. declaration does even mention gay marriage.  Furthermore, most of the nations that support the proposal do not have legalized same-sex marriage.

Archbishop Migliore also confirmed Tuesday that the Vatican had also refused to sign a U.N. document last May in support of the rights of the disabled because it did not include condemnation of abortion, and the rights the fetus with birth defects, but said Vatican officials support the principles of the disabled rights document.

Arcigay, the Italian gay rights association claims the Vatican’s opposition to the anti-discriminatory measure is “unprecedented,” and the citing of gay marriage is an “excuse” to distract people from the real intent of criminalizing gays. One Rome-based priest was disappointed the Vatican decided to publicize its opposition to what appears a rather innocuous declaration. “When you’re always trying to look for new ways to make your point, you lose credibility,” says the priest. “Better sometimes to keep quiet.”

Homophobic Vatican Attempts to Hide Gay Past

he Catholic Church is under growing pressure to abandon the “homophobic” exhumation and reburial of the body of one its most famous cardinals, in defiance of his wish to lie for eternity next to the man he loved.

Gay rights campaigners have accused the Vatican - which has ordered the disinterment in the first step towards beatification - of attempting to cover up the sexuality of Cardinal John Henry Newman, who died in 1890.

Opposition to the reburial among some British Roman Catholics has been bolstered by a new poll organized by The Church Times which shows that a majority of Anglicans are now against the separation of Cardinal Newman, a former Anglican clergyman, and Father Ambrose St John who lived together as “husband and wife” for most of their late adult lives.

Read more at prorev.com.

Vatican Suspends Senior Monsignor for Being Gay

he Vatican said Saturday it has suspended a monsignor from a senior post at the Holy See after an Italian TV program using a hidden camera recorded him making advances to a young man and asserting that gay sex was not sinful.

Stenico was suspended by the Vatican after he was caught on tape making sexual advances at a young man.

The Vatican did not identify the monsignor by name.

But Monsignor Tommaso Stenico confirmed in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that he had been suspended from his post at the Vatican’s Congregation for Clergy, an office which aims to ensure proper conduct by priests.

“Don’t condemn me,” Stenico said, adding that the program “was done fraudulently” because it used a hidden camera.

In the program on private Italian network La7, a man identified as a priest is heard saying that he “didn’t feel he was sinning” by having sex with gay men.

Rome daily La Repubblica reported Saturday that Vatican officials recognized the monsignor’s office in the background of the program, which aired October 1.

The Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, said the Italian monsignor was suspended while the case was under investigation.

“Higher-ups are evaluating the situation with the necessary reserve and with the obligatory respect for the person involved, even if this person has erred,” Lombardi said.

Read more of this at edition.cnn.com.