Pope Francis strongly criticizes gender theory, comparing it to nuclear arms

Pope Francis has strongly criticized modern theories that consider people's gender identities to exist along a spectrum, saying such theories do not "recognize the order of creation."
Speaking of gender theory in an interview in a new book released in Italy, the pope even compares such theories to genetic manipulation and nuclear weapons.

Asked in the book about how important it is for Christians to recover a sense of safeguarding of creation and sustainable growth, the pope first speaks of the duty of all people to respect and care for the environment.

But he then says that every historical period has "Herods" that "destroy, that plot designs of death, that disfigure the face of man and woman, destroying creation."

"Let's think of the nuclear arms, of the possibility to annihilate in a few instants a very high number of human beings," he continues. "Let's think also of genetic manipulation, of the manipulation of life, or of the gender theory, that does not recognize the order of creation."

"With this attitude, man commits a new sin, that against God the Creator," the pope says.  Read more

Pope Endorses Referendum Denying Marriage And Adoption Rights To Same-Sex Couples

Pope Francis gave his blessing on Wednesday to a referendum that would ban marriage and adoption rights for same-sex couples in Slovakia, which will be voted on this Saturday.

Slovakia is the latest battleground over LGBT family rights in Europe, which is increasingly divided between east and west. Slovakia’s parliament actually added language denying marriage recognition to same-sex couples to the country’s constitution in June, making it one of four countries in Eastern Europe to do so since 2012. The first of three questions before voters on Saturday’s ballot, which asks if marriage should be defined as between a man and a woman, won’t change the legal status quo in Slovakia. But the second question would also ban adoption for same-sex couples, and the third allows parents to withdraw their children from sexual education classes.

It is not unusual for popes to comment on domestic political debates around the world, and these remarks are consistent with the church’s long-standing opposition to family rights for same-sex couples, which has not changed under his papacy even though he has generally sought a less confrontational tone to engaging with LGBT people. But his remarks come as the Slovakian church has been under criticism from the country’s LGBT rights supporters, who say the church is to blame for the recent push against LGBT rights in the country. Read more

The British Muslim Who Founded a Controversial Gay-Friendly Mosque

Dr. Taj Hargey is a radical, but also a fundamentalist. He points out, Islam is about the Qur'an, and it is from the Qur'an that he will preach, ignoring all the other footnotes beloved of modern clerics. All of that stuff, he says, has no pertinence to the Qur'an: It's a book that rejects violence, doesn't mention the burqa, embraces a role for women, and doesn't explicitly ban images of Muhammad or encourage Muslims to murder satirical cartoonists.

Hargey took part of his salary as an Oxford don and started his own mosque in South Africa late last year. The place of worship, he says—unlike most around the world—is both gay-friendly and woman-friendly. Which is exactly why he's not getting on so well within the local community of sects, imams, and governing councils. His "Open Mosque" in Cape Town has been firebombed three times since it commenced operations in September. "They also tried to drive a 4x4 through the doors... but for me, right now, the project is about holding on," he tells me. Read More

Pope Francis Reported To Have Met With Transgender Man At The Vatican

Pope Francis reportedly held a private audience with a transgender man, in what would be a first for his papal record. Diego Neria Lejárraga, who underwent sex-reassignment surgery and was rejected by his religious community, claims he reached out to the Pope in December and received a call from the pontiff on Christmas Eve. Lejárraga and his fiancee say they met with Pope Francis in his Vatican residence.

The Press Office of the Holy See says there is no information about the alleged meeting. Francis DeBernardo, Executive Director of New Ways Ministry which advocates for LGBT Catholics, said he wondered at the Vatican's silence on the reported meeting. 

"The Vatican's reluctance to verify the meeting is another indication of why I don't think their attitude can yet be called 'acceptance,'" said DeBernardo. Read More

Former highest-ranking U.S. cardinal blames ‘feminization’ for the Catholic Church’s problems

Cardinal Raymond Burke became the highest-ranking American in the Vatican during the tenure of former Pope Benedict on the strength of unabashed conservatism. But as soon as Pope Francis arrived on the scene, that same conservatism turned divisive when Burke criticized Francis’s progressive policies. Notably, Cardinal Burke led the dispute against Pope Francis's more inclusive language towards LGBT people before he was removed from duty. 

Now Burke is making headlines again with a published manifesto that blames women and the 'feminization' of the church for the problems in the Catholic church. Read More

Taiwan's Wei-Ming 'Rabbit' Temple Draws Gay Community

Wei-ming temple is a house of Taoist worship with a twist - almost all of its congregants are gay. The shrine, down a narrow alleyway in a bustling district of New Taipei City, is dedicated to a deity who has watched over homosexuals for four centuries.

"In Chinese history, 'rabbit' was a derogatory term for homosexuals," said Lu Wei-ming, who founded the temple in 2006, at a time gays were excluded from most religious ceremonies. Lu, who has taken a vow of celibacy and declined to answer questions about his sexuality, said he wanted to create a welcoming environment for a flock that had long been ostracized.

"This was a group with no one to look after them, and I wanted to fill that void," said the 28-year-old priest, adding that Wei-ming is the world's only shrine for homosexuals. Read More

Barbados Reverend challenges: Extend love to homosexuals

Stop judging and getting “bogged down in the whole hell and damnation thing” and extend love to the homosexual community. That is the message an Anglican priest, Reverend Davidson Bowen, is sending to the church. 

The clergyman’s view on the controversial matter comes amid calls by members of Barbados’ lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community for more recognition, including the passage of gender-neutral legislation. Reverend Bowen acknowledged the sensitivity surrounding the issue, but stressed that people who do not support homosexuality should also be respected.  Read More

Graphic Photos On Twitter, ISIS Members Record and Tout Executions of Gay Men

The attacks, which also include the stoning of an adulterer, appear to have taken place in Mosul and were distributed by ISIS social media accounts.

These are obscene images. They depict two men thrown from the roof of a building as a crowd watches them fall to their deaths, and they purport to show the Islamic State (or ISIS) carrying out public executions before an audience in Iraq’s Nineveh province.

The two victims’ alleged crimes? They are believed to be gay. Read More

Preacher Scott Lively on trial for role in Uganda anti-gay law

Anti-gay preacher Scott Lively will face trial for crimes against humanity for his role in influencing the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA). A lawsuit was originally filed by the Centre for Constitutional Rights (CCR) on behalf of umbrella advocacy group Sexual Minorities Uganda. He is accused of direct involvement in anti-gay efforts in Uganda and therefore of aiding persecution – a violation of international law. A Boston Court of Appeals last week denied Lively's petition to have the case dismissed. It will proceed in federal court. 

Lively, who is president of Abiding Truth Ministries, recently described homosexuality as an "infection" and worse than mass murder. He has also accused gay people of being "agents of America's moral decline."  Read More

Australian Court: Resort cannot use religion to justify discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation

The Court of Appeal of Victoria, Australia found Christian Youth Camps liable for an act of unlawful discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, arising from the refusal of its manager, Mark Rowe, to allow one of CYC’s adventure camp resorts to be used by same-sex attracted young people.

Cobaw Community Health Services Ltd, an organization working to prevent suicide among young people and to raise awareness about the needs of same-sex attracted young people and the effects of homophobia and discrimination on them, had made the request to host a retreat for same-sex attracted young people. CYC denied them access after learning of the intended guests. Read More