Action: please support Bishop Devine. Talk of 'conspiracy' makes him sound like a crack-pot, but it is undeniable that the gay lobby have been and are engaged in a concerted campaign against Christian morality, and the sooner this was acknowledged the better. He'll be receiving sack-fulls of hate-mail; please email your support through chancellor@rcdom.org.uk.Bishop Devine's speech was part of the Gonzaga Lectures series. Sadly, an earlier lecture in the same series was used as a bully pulpit to attack the Church, by a well-known dissenting priest, Fr Monaghan.
From Catholic World News, in part: In a campus lecture on March 11 he said that homosexual activists have worked steadily to change public attitudes, while Christians have failed to uphold their principles. "The opposition know exactly what they're doing," the bishop said. "We don't." Pressure for social change, Bishop Devine said, "was bound to result in state-sponsored morality at war with Christian values." Exhorting Christians to join in the cultural battle, he said: "We must resist being corrupted by secularism." (First report in full here.)
The bishop reportedly said: "The homosexual lobby has been extremely effective in aligning itself with minority groups. It is ever-present at the service each year for the Holocaust memorial, as if to create for themselves the image of a group of people under persecution. We neglect the gay movement at our peril." He added that there was a "huge and well-orchestrated conspiracy" taking place, which the Catholic community had missed.
Bishop Devine's comments have been condemned by gay rights groups and Holocaust survivor organisations. However, yesterday Bishop Devine remained firm in the face of the criticism. "These groups are defending their position, I am defending mine," he said.
"The homosexual lobby has identified itself with people who have gone through dreadful persecution - the impression is that they have been equally persecuted.
"It is all about a lifestyle alien to the Christian tradition. There is a giant conspiracy against Christian values, an agenda here. I stand by what I said."
Lothians MSP George Foulkes has tabled a motion in the Scottish Parliament over the bishop's "unfortunate, outdated and unchristian remarks". The motion calls on the Parliament to "tackle prejudice in all its forms" and acknowledge the right of the gay community to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. (Follow-up report in full here.)
7 comments:
Bishop Devine should stand down immediately, or better still, be forced to stand down even sooner.
The Catholic Church is doomed with Bigots such as Devine who will only continue to ensure that the Catholic Church faces increased criticism and contiual undermining from all sectors of moders scottish society. The Catholic Church is doomed if they allow uneducated and completely out-to-date representatives, such as Devine, to make such ludicrous public comments.
See what I mean about sackloads of hate mail? Notice the series of insults without the smallest articulated justification. It's just that his views are 'out of date': the ultimate condemnation!
Was Jesus Christ himself not the first to embrace people from all walks of life?
I am not a homosexual, but I find Bishop Devine's remarks incredibly offensive.
I am also a Christian, and believe that God made and loves each one of us.
We as Christians and citizens of the world should unite to fight injustice as God told us to do, not listen and jump to the words of a clearly perverted and mis-lead man.
Jesus called on people in all walks of life to 'Repent and believe'. What follows from that? That the Church should sleep-walk into a situation where she cannot proclaim the Gospel or carry on her charitable works? I don't think so.
I appreciate your point, Webmaster, but I think you've got the wrong end of the stick. It's uncharitable for us to criticise the ways of life of so many people, many of whom belong to our Church, and it is a gross misinterpretation that liberating God's people is in some way allowing the Church to 'sleep-walk' into a bad situation.
The public out- cry following the Bishop's remarks are not one step further away from God, but a reaction from God himself. A society in which we all live in peace, tolerance and love is one step towards the society that God wants to create. Let's start here. Start now.
Nobody's threatening to take away the Gospel. It's about actually applying it to our lives.
It is uncharitable to condemn so many people who have an immoral lifestyle? Well, we condemn the lifestyle, and it would be uncharitable not to, as well as taking away the Gospel. We have to proclaim it 'in season and out of season': when a teaching is least fashionable is when it is most needed.
i totally agree with bishop devine take an in depth look at what the bible says about homosexuals. there is no point in knocking the catholic church it is absultely right to keep GOD'/JESUS commands otherwise it will cease to be the church of god. The catholic church cannot go changing rules to suit homosexuals and other people who sin at will' it is there to help and guide them. bishop devine ,s statement is correct and we need more like him.
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