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Gay Italy News & Reports (Including Vatican) 2000-05
Also see:
Gay Italy News & Reports 2006-07
Gay Italy News & Reports 2008
Also
see:
Gay Italy story
Gay Rome story
Gay Sicily story
1
Italy Focuses on Homosexuality: Gay Pride vs the Vatican 6/00
2
Erotic Roman frescoes unveiled at Pompeii baths complex 11/01
3
Italy: priest expelled for marrying gay couples 2/02
4
Italian Gay couple test the legal limits with Dutch marriage
7/02
5 Homophobia
alive and well in Italy 6/05 (Replaces 6/03 article)
6
Procreation for gay couples denied by Minors' Rights Observatory
6/03
7
Roman gays hoping to score at mass kiss 2/04
8
Gay couples in Tuscany celebrate recognition 4/04
9
'The Most Famous gay scene in Italy' --Versilia 6/04
10 Italian
region bans discrimination 11/04
11
Discover & Enjoy
PrideMilano 2005-Politics, Travel Show, Film Festival, Music and
Art 4/05
12 New Pope meets gay governor on first road trip 5/05
13
Pope Says Gay Marriage is 'Pseudo Matrimony' 6/05
14 The Pope and Gay Marriage--Readers
Reactions to Pope's Criticism 6/05
15 The Gay Village Rome is back--June 30 to August 31, 2005
16 Italian
men in touch with their softer sides--and less homophobic than
Americans 6/05
17 Italian
city workers take 'gay rights' classes 6/05
18 Rome
Gays Demand Marriage Rights 7/05
19 Italy's
Health Minister Slams Hospital For Refusing Gay Blood 9/05
20 Italy
snaps over gay poster excess 9/05 (Photo
included)
21 Vatican newspaper says homosexual men not suitable for priesthood 11/05
Associated
Press
June 16,
2000
1
Italy Focuses on Homosexuality
by Candice
Hughes
Rome (AP) - The furor
over whether an international Gay Pride festival should take place in
the midst of a Vatican Holy Year has done something the event's foes
never expected - made homosexuality in Italy the talk of the town.
Accommodating,
but at heart conformists, Italians have always taken a "don't ask,
don't tell'' approach. "Our country has a double morality. Some
things can be done, but they can't be spoken about,'' says Niki Vendola,
the only openly gay member of Parliament.
So strong
was the taboo that when a Cabinet minister broke it recently, he was
criticized not for being bisexual but for talking about it. This couldn't
have been what the Vatican intended when it went public this spring
with its objections to the World Pride Roma 2000 scheduled for July
1-9, which it said would be an affront to the religious pilgrims visiting
Rome for the Holy Year.
Insiders
say the Vatican was especially annoyed because the festival coincides
with the Holy Year week devoted to Polish pilgrims - a group especially
dear to the Polish-born pope.
The opposition backfired. By attracting so much implacable ire, the
festival has energized Italy's long-reticent gay community and become
a cause celebre in liberal circles.
"People
are talking, people are coming out,'' said Deborah Oakley-Melvin, World
Pride's international director. ``The political and media attention
has made this event exceptional.'' The festival is expected to bring
as many as 200,000 gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people
to Rome. Courtesy of its opponents, what started out as a party is becoming
a political event as well.
Among the
additions to the usual festival fare - art exhibits, fashion shows,
music, films, a big parade - is a roundtable featuring the human rights
group Amnesty International. "A lot of activists weren't coming
because they thought it was just another pride event,'' said Oakley-Melvin,
a veteran festival organizer from San Francisco. ``They've changed their
minds.''
The Vatican
was clear about its desire to have World Pride postponed or moved, but
also relatively restrained. Things began overheating when politicians
jumped into the fray, along with a small but vocal band of neo-fascists
so far to the right that they think the Vatican - which holds that homosexual
acts are a sin - is soft on homosexuality.
The flap
threw the city and the premier, whose governments are leftist and viewed
by Italians as tolerant, into a tizzy. Mayor Francesco Rutelli began
backtracking on an event his city had approved in 1998 and Premier Giuliano
Amato declared World Pride ``inopportune.'' Further spicing things up,
the wives of the mayor and the premier both differed publicly with their
husbands.
Teetering
between what appears to be a desire to please the Vatican and at the
same time not to seem to kowtow to it, the city stopped short of canceling
World Pride. Instead, it whittled away at the edges. It withdrew official
sponsorship, rejected most festival venues and pulled funding for cultural
events, forcing the festival into a frenzy of last-minute reorganization.
Oakley-Melvin
said all events must take place in the Circus Maximus, the ancient Roman
chariot grounds in central Rome that offer not a whisper of shade against
the brutal summer sun. City officials insist it is the venue easiest
to protect against counter-demonstrations by the tiny neo-fascist group,
Forza Nuova. The organizers also canceled a few events the city objected
to most strongly, including the drag king contest and a photo exhibit
involving both biblical themes and homosexuality.
The big
battle now is over the route for the parade, the festival's central
event. The city wants the parade to go no further than the Circus Maximus;
the organizers are vowing to forge ahead with the original plan and
go all the way to the Colosseum. It was no accident that Rome was chosen
as the host city for World Pride in 2000 during the Roman Catholic church's
Holy Year.
"It's
the moment for visibility,'' Oakley-Melvin said. "It's the moment
to open a discussion about religion and homosexuality. That's the whole
point of Pride: Visibility and equality.''
On the Net: World Pride festival: http://www.worldpride2000.com
The Telegraph,
London ( http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ )
15 November
2001
2
Erotic Roman frescoes unveiled at Pompeii baths complex
by Bruce
Johnston in Rome
A set of
Roman erotic frescoes were unveiled in Pompeii yesterday after excavation
and restoration work over almost half a century.
They were
found at the Terme Suburbane (suburban baths), so called because of
their position outside the gates of Pompeii's principal archaeological
area. The huge, two-storey complex included hot and cold indoor baths,
a heated outdoor pool, what may have amounted to the first sauna, and
the only documented example in the ancient world of a unisex changing
room.
Unusually
for the ancient Romans, both sexes were able to use the baths at the
same time, experts at the site said. Parts of the complex emerged as
excavations went on between 1950 and 1980. The erotic frescoes were
discovered in the changing room in the late 1980s. The scenes, each
of which originally related to a clothing locker, depict among other
things group sex and oral sex.
One scene
shows a lesbian encounter which an official at Pompeii, Raffaella Leveque,
said was the "only example of Sapphic art in the ancient Roman
world". The discovery of the erotica, some of which are humourous
or bawdy, has led to a theory that the baths also contained a lupanare,
or brothel.
Excavations
failed to turn up any sign of the usual cubicles which the ancients
reserved for this purpose. Pompeii was destroyed in AD 79 when Vesuvius
erupted and covered the city in ash.
Reuters
February
14, 2002
3
Italy priest expelled for marrying gay couples
Rome - A priest
who scandalised the Roman Catholic church by marrying dozens of homosexual
couples in Italy was expelled from the diocese and stripped of his priestly
duties, church leaders said on Thursday.
Despite
years of warnings, Father Franco Barbero, 63, of the northern Italian
city of Pinerolo married not only divorcees but more than 30 gay couples,
forcing the church to take action, the local bishop said. "His
moral stance and the celebration of pseudo-marriages among homosexual
people are, basically, in serious contrast to the doctrine of the Catholic
Church," Bishop Pier Giorgio Debernardi said in a statement quoted
by Italian media. Local church officials issued a statement on Barbero's
expulsion but declined to give any further details.
"Franco
Barbero...is no longer in communion with the church and the ecclesiastic
community...he will no longer exercise any recognised pastoral ministry,"
the statement read. The Vatican has in the past strongly attacked moves
in Europe and abroad to allow homosexual marriages and to give gay couples
the same rights as heterosexual married couples. It teaches that homosexual
tendencies are not sinful but homosexual acts are.
The Pinerolo
bishop said he had tried in vain for more than 30 years to convince
Barbero of the error of his ways, "but he has always made decisions
to not accept and embrace Catholic doctrine." Barbero also denied
basic tenets of the Roman Catholic faith including the virginity of
Mary and he refused to recognise the teaching authority of the church,
the bishop said.
The Pinerolo
incident was the second scandal to rock the church in as many weeks.
Father
Ugo Moretto, former manager of the Vatican TV centre, recently admitted
that he was having an affair with his secretary and that he would soon
be a father. Moretto told a local newspaper this week that he would
get married as soon as possible and was looking for a new job. "After
months of suffering, I am at peace with my conscience: in a few months
I will be a father."
International
Herald Tribune,( http://www.iht.com )
June 7,
2002
4
Italian Gay couple test the legal limits with Dutch marriage
by Elisabetta
Povoledo, Italy Daily
When Antonio
Garullo and Mario Ottocento got married last Saturday in The Hague,
they crowned a long-standing dream, and began what promises to be an
even longer judicial nightmare. The gay couple chose to marry
in the Netherlands because it is currently the only European Union country
that grants heterosexual and homosexual unions equal legal standing.
Garullo
and Ottocento were the first foreigners to be married in the country
and they are the first gay Italians to legally wed. But when
the happy couple flew back to their home in Latina, south of Rome, on
Tuesday, they returned to their status as de facto singles because
Italy does not recognize same-sex marriages.
Charging
that their lack of legal status denies them fundamental human rights,
the couple is about to challenge existing legislation in court. And
in the eyes of many, they have already become paladins against an
unjust situation affecting all unmarried couples, regardless of
their sexual orientation.
"We
could have legitimated our cohabitation privately and not have gone
public with the marriage," said Garullo from his home in Latina.
"But we decided that if no one took the first step the situation
would never change."
Their next
move will be to ask an appeals court in Rome to ratify their
Dutch marriage, a procedure required of people who marry outside their
home country. "But this time, the request will be rejected
because Italy doesn't recognize same-sex marriages," said Ezio
Mensione, the couple's lawyer. He explained that they would challenge
that rejection in the Cassazione, Italy's highest appeals court.
There,
too, they expect to lose, but Mensione believes the high court might
send the case on to the Constitutional Court because of its unique
nature. Garullo and Ottocento also plan to appeal to the European
Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, where Mensione reckons they
have a good chance of winning a discrimination case against Italy.
Citing
the Treaty of Amsterdam, which forbids discrimination based on
sexual orientation, the lawyer was certain his clients' rights would
be recognized. But a civil servant with the European Commission in Brussels
said that their changes of winning a discrimination case in Strasbourg
were slight. He pointed out that the Council of Europe's 1950 Convention
for Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms made specific
reference to marriage between men and women and not to members of the
same sex.
Besides,
he said, Article 13 of the Treaty of Amsterdam only enables the Council
to take appropriate action to combat discrimination based on sexual
orientation, but it cannot force a member state to recognize something
that is against the policy of the member state's legislation. "One
thing is discrimination, another is recognition of a marriage between
two homosexual men," said the European civil servant, who asked
to remain anonymous. "For the time being, I don't think they have
a chance, who knows, perhaps in ten years."
More optimistically,
Alberto Baliello, who follows legal issues for Arcigay, Italy's largest
gay rights group, said that even if they did win in Strasbourg,
the victory would be hollow. "Even if they find Italy guilty, the
court will impose a fine and nothing will happen," he said explaining
that the court's decisions do not mandate changes to national law.
The more
important battle, he said, was to change Italian legislation
that not only does not recognize rights to same-sex couples, but extends
that discourtesy to unmarried couples in general. "Basically there
is no alternative to marriage," he said.
Most
EU countries recognize same-sex unions, granting them at least some
of the same rights reserved to heterosexual couples, and Belgium will
soon follow the Netherlands' lead regarding same sex marriages. In late
2000, Germany passed a "common life" law recognizing certain
rights much like the PACS in France, the civil solidarity pact that
applies to all non-traditional unions.
Italy,
on the other hand, grants no rights to same-sex unions. A few cities,
namely Bologna, Florence, Pisa, Ferrara and Terni have instituted civil
registers that take note of same-sex marriages, but they have no legal
implications. Only the Valle d'Aosta region gives certain rights
to same sex couples, like the ability to take out a loan together.
Apart from
their symbolic crusade, the Latina couple, Mensione said, were fighting
for the more practical collateral rights "like pension reversibility
and other benefits. Over the past few decades, scattered bills granting
equal rights to unmarried couples have made their way into Parliament,
but none has ever made it even to a preliminary discussion. Many gay
rights activists fault the left for not taking up the cause. "That's
the problem with the left, they are good on the collective rights but
don't do much for the individual," rued Mensione.
Saturday's
wedding created quite a ruckus, particularly after Antonio Gagliardi,
Latina's chief prosecutor, said he considered the nuptial vows to be
nothing more than "a folkloristic gesture." He said
he would object to Garullo and Ottocento's attempts to register the
union because it "opposed the fundamental rights of our country
and of our constitution, which indicate the family based on matrimony
as the natural foundation of our society."
During
question time in Parliament on Tuesday, Franco Grillini, a deputy for
the Democratic Left and the founder and honorary chairman of Arcigay,
asked Justice Minister Roberto Castelli what measures he was planning
to take against Gagliardi for his "offensive" remarks. Grillini,
who was present at the Dutch wedding as friend and official photographer,
said he presented a bill to Parliament that would allow people
of the same sex to get married last September, but had little hope it
would ever get voted on, launching a not-so-veiled barb at his own party.
"The
point is, really, to build support in public opinion to then take up
the battle," he said, adding that the influence exerted by the
Vatican over Italian politics has made all questions related to the
family dicey. "But today I think that consensus already exists."
Garullo, 37, and Ottocento, 30, are unlikely civil rights champions.
Both men
grew up in Latina, a town of 110,000 where they have a sculpting
workshop. They didn't have much to do with the local gay community
and don't consider themselves activists. But the Gay Pride parade in
2000, which brought tens of thousands to Rome, was the moment of
awakening which gave them the strength to forge on with what promises
to be a lengthy legal battle.
On Saturday,
they will address this year's national Gay Pride parade in Padua.
When they decided to marry, Ottocento went to the Hague and rented an
apartment for a few months so he could establish residency. The rest
was bureaucratic. They are going to go on their honeymoon in a few weeks,
in an undisclosed, but sunny, location. "I married Mario because
I love him and wanted to build a family," said Garullo.
"And
that comes before any battle." All those involved with the case
sense that it is going to be an uphill struggle. "After
all, we're talking about a country that doesn't even have a law banning
discrimination for reasons of sexual preference," said Baliello.
"Even Romania doesn't allow for discrimination against gays."
June
2005
5
Homophobia
alive and well in Italy
(Note:
this report is an abridged replacement of a longer report posted
by the Observer in June 2003. At the request of the author and
the publisher that story was removed from this site. In the request,
the author stated that two years after its publication the article
continued to be a source of conflict and alienation for the individuals
named in the report. Clearly, homophobia is alive and well in Italy
in 2005.)
By Richard Ammon, GlobalGayz.com
Despite the highly controversial and enormous public display of gay
pride in 2000 during WorldPride Rome 2000, the majority of Italian
gays and lesbians remain shuttered behind discretion and privacy
when it comes to their sexual orientation. Most gays in Italy are
not ‘out,
proud and gay’.
One news report in 2003 quoted the then president of Arcigay, Franco
Grillini as saying, “The problem is when you live in the Vatican's
back garden, you can't change anything fast.” Grillini is one
of the country’s four openly gay left-wing members of parliament.
The recent passage from one pope to another is not likely to change
the Vatican’s staunch anti-gay rhetoric or policies. Indeed
the current pope was one of the authors of the Vatican’s
strong position that labeled homosexuality as an “intrinsic
moral evil.” However,
despite such vehemence the new pope recently (May 2005) greeted
the newly elected governor of Puglia, Nicchi Vendola, who describes
himself
as gay, Catholic and communist and cohabits with his gay partner.
(See report #12 below.)
In many towns and cities in Italy June gay Pride parades are the
daring frontline presence for LGBT presence. Often gay and lesbian
participants
travel to other cities to march thus minimizing their exposure
at home and safely away from the Vatican’s scorn. Some travel
nearly the entire length of the country to support local celebrants.
Many homosexual individuals claim that discrimination in their workplace
is common. Additionally, gays face condemnation from the right-wing
National Alliance party whose members have circulated leaflets
brandishing slogans like 'behind every homosexual is a hidden pedophile'
at various
gay Pride festivals, especially in the conservative southern areas
like Mezzogiorno and the city of Bari.
Although only about 100,000 gay and lesbian Italians are willing to
be open, there remains an estimated four to five million LGBT citizens
throughout the country.
But inevitably and slowly attitudes shift over time, as they have in
many modern European Union countries. Some polls indicate that almost
50 per cent of Italians, especially among the younger generations,
now see same-sex attraction as an 'alternative form of love'.
But still for most LGBT folks, the stigma of homosexuality—and
the family dishonor it carries--is powerful enough to keep them closeted
for life behind the appearance of the married-with-kids façade.
Few Italian cities still have openly gay neighborhoods and it’s
not uncommon for hidden gays to post headless photos on websites
using fake names as they cruise the Net for hook-ups or partners.
Some progressive local governments have encouraged the creation of
official gay areas with little success because of social pressure that
urges gays to remain underground. On the other hand, in the huge metropolis
of Rome where Italian life is most diverse the authorities have tried
to dissuade gays away from popular cruising grounds such as Capitoline
Hill that overlooks the old Roman Forum. (The irony of the place is
hardly lost given the liberal ancient Roman attitudes toward same-gender
feelings.) The Hill is active day and night despite rude efforts such
as erecting fences, installing lights and tearing up shrubbery.
'People are still afraid as if we were in a police state,' said Franco
Grillini of Arcigay, but he insists such hostile attitudes only serve
to motivate Arcigay to continue the struggle for gays right and public
education about human sexuality.
Agenzia
Giornalistica Italia (Italy)
http://www.agi.it/english/news.pl?doc=200307121516-0051-RT1-CRO-0-NF11&page=
0&id=agionline-eng.oggitalia
July 12,
2003
6
Procreation for gay couples denied by Minors' Rights Observatory
Naples,
Italy (AGI) - The Observatory
for the Rights of Minors intervened in the polemics about article 8
in the Statute for the Region of Campania which announced aid for
adoptions and assisted procreation "without gender discrimination".
"There
can be no institutional statute which contemplates laws against nature.
The homosexual couple, from the natural point of view, isn't in balance
because 'parents' means a man and a woman", the Observatory said.
Toronto Star, Toronto,
Ontario, Canada ( http://www.thestar.com/ ) http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Artic
le_Type1&c=Article&cid=1076541906222&call_pageid=991479973472&col=9919291311
47
February
14, 2004
7
Roman
gays hoping to score at mass kiss
Hundreds
of gay men in Rome have angered city officials - and dismayed several
high-profile
residents of Vatican City, we assume - over plans to stage
a
Valentine's Day world record attempt for the most people taking
part in a mass
kiss. The event is being organized by homosexual group Arcigay
in an attempt to persuade the Italian parliament to pass laws
giving homosexual
and unmarried couples the same rights as married couples.
The
kissing couples are calling for a "civil solidarity pact" in
line with a French model, which allows couples to
invest and own property
together as well as inherit more easily. Also, Italians have
a chance to break the Guinness World Record for "The Most People
Kissing Simultaneously." Canada became the record holder
in 2000 with 3,176 people. Then on Jan. 11 of this year Chileans
broke
the record
with 8,890 people kissing at the same time. The move has
been condemned by city officials who say the group smooch
could bring
city traffic
to a standstill.
Agenzia
Giornalistica Italia
(Italy),
http://www.agi.it/english/news.pl?doc=200404071933-1227-RT1-CRO-0-NF11&page=0&id=agionline-eng.oggitalia
April
7, 2004
8
Gay couples in Tuscany celebrate recognition
Florence, Italy - The Statute Commission of the Regional Council
of Tuscany has completed two articles regulating couples which
have caused celebration in
the gay and lesbian communities in the region. These articles concern the safeguarding
of the family values based on marriage and the recognition of other forms of
living together.
ArciGay
Tuscany commended the statute as one worthy of being in Europe and
said that their organization had made specific proposals during
the preparation of the article. Today they express their complete satisfaction
especially because of the ban on discrimination besides for the usual categories:
gender, age, religion etc. also for 'sexual tendencies'.
The note
concluded: "Tuscany
confirms yet again that it is a land of freedom. The organization "L'altro
volto -Lucca Gay e Lesbica" also expressed satisfaction for the ban on
discrimination for sexual tendencies and declared: "this puts our Region
on the par with the rest of the EU which had banned discrimination against
homosexuals and had
recognized their rights many years ago".
(Source
unknown)
June
2004
9
'The Most Famous gay scene in Italy'
At the top of Italian west coast, Versilia, in the
Tuscany region, gives welcome to all the gay tourists from all the
world.
Mama
mia risto-disco-pub, Bocachica house music disco; Jungle Disco, Europa
sea-food restaurant, B&B's, hotels and many others wait for
you in this summer-heaven, well known by Italians.
Relax
under the sun with 2 kms of gay beach in the wonderful protected
park of Lecciona, enjoy evening drinks, and later go to the
parties organized by locals.
So summer
gay life works in Italy. Come to try this new experience at http://www.friendlyversilia.it and let your body
follow the instinct!
International News #552 by Rex Wockner members.aol.com/wockner
November 22, 2004
10
Italian
region bans discrimination Italy's
Tuscany region banned discrimination based on sexual orientation
and gender identity Nov. 10. It is reportedly the first Italian region
to do so. The measure was passed by the Tuscany Regional Council.
The
law "grant[s] to every person free expression and manifestation
of the person's sexual orientation and of the person's gender identity."
It
also gives same-sex couples rights in the area of health-care decisions,
and promises to promote cultural events "open to all lifestyles." Violators
will be fined up to 3,000 euros (US$3,900).
Alfred J. Cahak, Int. Press Office Le Village Milano - Gay Urban Lifestyle
Festival Tel.: +43/699/11842825, Fax: +43/1/8176049 p.A. A-1120 Vienna,
Vivenotgasse 47/21 eMail: alfredcahak@yahoo.de www.qtm-expo.com, www.arcoturismo.it
www.pridemilano.org, www.arcigaymilano.org
April 2005
11
Discover & Enjoy
PrideMilano 2005-Politics, Travel Show, Film Festival, Music and
Art
This year's
Italian Pride Nazionale takes place on June 4, 2005 in Milan, capital
of Lombardy,
where more than 150.000 gays, lesbians, bi- and transsexuals as well
as their friends are expected to come together under the events motto "PACS!
equal duties, equal rights". During this event, Italian politics
and public will be visibly confronted with the topic of the "Patto
Civile di Solidarietà" given that Italy is at
the present time the European Union's tail-light in the discussion
around registered
partnership, besides countries like Austria and a few of the new member
countries of the former Eastern block.
PrideMilano
2005 - a statement against civil inequality "
After years of delaying tactics from
the left-centred political parties and the ignorance of the right-wing
parties it is time that politicians remember their election
promises to the GLBT community and to ask them for clear word and
deed!",
according to the pride organisers of Arcobaleno, parent organization
of Milans Arcigay activist group CIG.
The Italian
GLBT community is tired of the play on words and constant
interference of the
Vatican as well as degrading statements from leading Italian politicians
(e.g. Rocco Buttiglione) related to the current social politics
and the missing
of non-discriminatory partnership laws. Several years of polemic
discussions about the ideal hosting place of the Pride Nazionale,
Arcigay and Arcilesbica
and the whole of their regional organisations have selected the
city of Milan as a reference point for the biggest, most important
and wealthiest
GLBT community.
More
than 150.000 participants and visitors are expected to the impressive
parade in Milan downtown, a number
that has not been
witnessed after years of stagnation, neither in the 2004 pride
in Grosseto, in rural Tuscany, nor in Bari in 2003. Because
of Milan's central location
in the densely populated North, it is certain that a good part
of the 5,7 million gays and lesbians in Italy won't miss this
occasion for
direct participation in the parade.
Le Village
Milano-Gay Urban Lifestyle Festival
During the celebrations around
Pride Nazionale,
for the first
time, the so-called "Le Village - Gay Urban Lifestyle
Festival" will
take place from June 1 to 19, 2005 on three weekends every
Thursday to Sunday. Approximately 100.000 visitors will be
expected to the
numerous concerts, discussions, exhibitions, art and cultural
events and fashion
shows. The "Piazza del Paese", so to speak the
main square of the village called Italy, will be structured
like the colors
of the rainbow flag in six sections: Social Groups, Art & Exhibition,
Experimental Fashion, Travel & Leisure, Socializing as
well as Shows & Music. Concerts of the Italian bands
Big, Meg, Rettore, Krisma and Marco Picardi, theater plays
like Fortunate Is The Night
and Come Tu Mi Vuoi as well as a Jazz Nite with the Joel
Severini Band will emphazise contemporary Italian art. The
national gay
icon Rafaella
Carra will most presumably open the Le Village with her greatest
hits.
During
the entire duration of Le Village, there will be the so-called
Aperitivo Milanese with live music events and various disco
nights with acknowledged top DJs from well-known gay-lesbian
clubs. Idroscalo,
the former airport for Zeppelins in the time between WWI
and WWII, has been chosen as the event's location, nowadays
a spacious public
park including an extensive lake with several beaches,
located very close to Linate, one of Milan's main airports.
Simultaneously
the gay-lesbian
travel workshop QueerTravelMart on.the.road will be held
with participation from Vienna Tourist Board, VisitBritain,
VisitLondon, Marketing
Manchester, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Stockholm Tourist
Board,
City of Helsinki,
Copenhagen & VisitDenmark, Fort Lauderdale, Hotel Axel
Barcelona and the Gay Village Roma.The QTM
on.the.road has gained a big
popularity among gay and lesbian travellers as an informative
and educative event
and plenty of gay-friendly offers of hotels, airlines
and destinations.
The
Gay & Lesbian Film Festival will take
place prior to the Pride Nazionale from May
26 to 31, 2005.
Last year more than 14.000
gay-lesbian
movie goers discovered and enjoyed the newest releases of
Bruce La Bruce "The Rasperry Reich", Allan Brockas "Eating
Out" or "Goldfish
Memory" of Irish director Liz Gill. This festival with
its numerous short films and new releases is meanwhile one
of the biggest
events
of its kind in Italy. Queer Italia The gay-travel-info-platform
ArcoTurismo offers best rates for flights and accommodation
during all events around
Pride Nazionale 2005 on their homepage.
Reservations
can be made directly online with instant availability. More infos
at www.arcoturismo.it.
Discover & Enjoy! ANY FURTHER REFERENCE: Alfred J. Cahak,
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Festival Tel.:
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www.arcoturismo.it www.pridemilano.org, www.arcigaymilano.org
The Independent
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=642644
29 May 2005
12
New Pope meets gay governor on first road trip
by Peter Popham in Rome
Pope Benedict XVI has made his first trip outside Rome since
his election six weeks ago, flying by helicopter to the south-eastern
port city of Bari for the culmination of a Catholic conference where
he called for Christian unity. The Bavarian pontiff who, as Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger, was known as Pope John Paul II's "enforcer of
the faith", took the opportunity
of the trip to the province of Puglia to underline the commitment
to bringing all followers of Christ together which has been a dominant
theme of his papacy since his election last month. His message was
given added significance by the fact that the recently elected governor
of Puglia, Nicchi Vendola, describes himself as gay, Catholic and
communist
and cohabits with his gay partner.
In his sermon at an outdoor mass in the city, attended according
to the Vatican by 200,000 people, the Pope said: "I want to
repeat my willingness to assume, as a fundamental commitment, working
to reconstitute
the full and visible unity of all the followers of Christ, with all
my energy ...
How can we communicate with the Lord if we don't communicate among
ourselves?" Bari is a city of high symbolism for Christian ecumenism,
looking out to the Orthodox lands to the east and being the repository
of the bones of St Nicholas of Myra, a 4th-century saint revered in
both the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox churches. The Pope termed
it "a land of encounter and dialogue with our Christian brothers
to the east".
Under a broiling sun, Pope Benedict also took an outing through the
cheering crowds in a boxy, bullet-proof Popemobile of the type made
famous by his predecessor. The three-hour excursion was conducted
under heavy security. The Pope flew to Bari by helicopter. All car
traffic in the city was
banned
for the duration of the visit, hundreds of police patrolled the streets
and a ship of the Italian navy was anchored offshore.
The retinue of senior members of the Italian government in attendance
included the speakers of both houses of parliament, and Giuseppe
Pisanu, Minister of the Interior.
The Pope was welcomed to the city by Mr Vendola, Bari's most controversial
new contribution to the Italian political landscape. As well as his
outspoken views on homosexuality and communism, the new leader of
Puglia is the first such eminence to sport an earring. Governor Vendola
said
that the pontiff's visit to the capital of his province was "a
cause of joy for me and for all the people of Puglia. We will welcome
Benedict XVI with all the solemnity and joy that this important event
merits".
But on the eve of the Pope's visit, Mr Vendola had made clear his
differences with the Pope's hard-line views on homosexuality. In
a newspaper interview,
he said: "Recognition of civil unions does not represent
any threat to the institution of marriage and the family. There is
a reality of
loving co-operation which asks to be granted the dimension of a citizen's
right."
As Cardinal Ratzinger, the Pope declared homosexuality to be "a
more or less strong tendency ordered towards an intrinsic moral evil",
and worked hard to suppress Catholic gay organisations. This included
prohibiting priests and nuns from doing pastoral work with gay men
and lesbians.
365Gay.com
June 6,
2005
13
Pope Says
Gay Marriage is 'Pseudo Matrimony'
by Malcolm Thornberry
Pope Benedict XVI has made his first public statement
on same-sex marriage since his election - a stinging condemnation
of gay and lesbian families. Repeatedly driving home his
point that marriage can only be a union between man and woman,
the Pope called same-sex unions "pseudo-matrimony".
He made the remarks in an address to a conference of the Diocese
of Rome on the role of the family held at St. John Lateran basilica. "The
various forms of the dissolution of matrimony today, like free unions,
trial marriages and going up to pseudo-matrimonies by people
of the same sex, are rather expressions of an anarchic freedom that
wrongly passes for true freedom of man," he said.
Although was his first public comment on same-sex marriage since
becoming Pope, Benedict has long history of attacking same-sex unions.
As Cardinal Ratzinger he was the Vatican's most outspoken opponent
of gay marriage. Ratzinger was the author of the a 2003 Vatican directive
to priests around the world calling for a proactive stand to stop governments
from legalizing same-sex marriage and for a repeal of those those
already on the books that give rights, including adoption, to gay
couples.
The 12 page document called on Catholic bishops and lawmakers to
oppose the legalization of same-sex unions.
Ratzinger opposes contraception and the use of condoms to combat
HIV/AIDS. He advocates a diminished role for women in the Church
and has called
for mandatory celibacy for priests.
In 1999 he ordered two Americans, Sister Jeannine Gramick and Father
Robert Nugent, to end their associated with New Ways Ministry which
provides educational programs for gay and lesbian Catholics nationwide.
365Gay.com
2005
Deutsche
Welt
http://www.dw-world.de
June 10, 2005
14
The Pope and Gay Marriage--Readers Reactions to Pope's Criticism
Pope Benedict XVI recently spoke out against gay marriage, calling it a “trivialization
of the human body.”
Germans criticized him for that and DW-WORLD readers seem split on the matter:
=I am a believer myself and no church is going to dictate to me that
I must now suddenly be anything else but gay, because I was born that. I feel
that anyone should have the right to be what they truly are and here in South
Africa we at least have a constitution that guarantees that. Why can the world
not allow consenting adults to live their lives the way they are -- provided
that it does not harm anyone and does not involve children? -- Pieter Niemand,
South Africa
=I totally agree with Pope Benedict XVI on gay marriage, and
for that matter, Pope John Paul II, and every other pope since Peter. There is
no moral or theological justification for the marriage of two people of the same
sex. It is an anathema. Homosexuality is sin, just as fornication and other extra-marital
sex is sinful. Marriage, by definition, is the joining of a male and a female.
-- Michael Murphy
=I believe that the Catholic Church is still in the middle ages.
The world has changed and the church needs to change to align itself with what
is going on in the world. I think gays should be allowed some sort of blessing/civil
ceremony, if people's reactions to a marriage are so strong. They should be allowed
to adopt children. They just want what we all want, life, love and togetherness
in trust and love. -- Lee Ann G., US
=Any couple who want to marry should be allowed to marry, regardless
of sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity, religious and spiritual beliefs/practices,
culture, etc. -- Nicole Raisin Stern, US
=I fully agree with the position of the Catholic Church in the
question of gay marriage. However, I don't agree with the position of the Catholic
Church regarding homosexual orientation. The Catholic Church believes that homosexual
orientation is not a sin, I believe that homosexual orientation is a sin. But
I also believe that homosexuals deserve to be respected in their way of life
-- that is that they should not endure unjust discriminations, and I don't believe
that banning gay marriage is an unjust discrimination. -- Esteban Rodriguez,
Costa Rica
=The more I hear of this Pope, the more I am considering becoming a Catholic.
-- Chuck Reichert
=I definitely disagree with the pope's views on same-sex marriages
and homosexuality. The Pope should focus on the real problems in the world and
the real problems in the Catholic Church. I feel like the church using homosexuals
as a red herring to distract us from issues such as the child sexual abuse scandals
in the United States. The Vatican immediately silences anyone who disagrees with
the pope's stance on homosexuality and other social issues. The Vatican should
discuss homosexuality and same-sex marriages rather than silence and bully those
who disagree with them. Also, if the Catholic Church truly believes that homosexuals
should not be discriminated against, then maybe they should teach tolerance and
stop trying to block the Brazilian UN resolution that is meant to protect gays
and lesbians from discrimination. -- Yasser Al-Saadi, Canada
=Pope Benedict is as wrong on this issue as his predecessors
were in sanctioning slavery for a great many centuries. I am a Catholic but on
this issue the Church needs to understand that the passages in Scriptures traditionally
interpreted as condemning homosexuality are based on a pre-modern understanding
of heterosexuality as the status of all people. -- Thomas Murphy
=As a psychologist and philosopher, it is obvious for me that the right
to marry will do a lot of good for many gay men and women, and therefore
for the well being of modern societies. The words of Benedict show that no serious
reflection has occurred among Vatican theologians, who have been repeating the
same thing for decades. -- Pierre Pelletier
=As a non-Catholic Christian I totally support the position of Pope Benedict on
the issue of gay marriage. I do not care what non-Christian religions do, but
acceptance of gay marriage in the Church is an intolerable evil. It is no less
an evil than the acceptance of adultery, bestiality or any other sexual sin.
God has set boundaries for us Christians and we have a responsibility to remain
within those boundaries. This issue is absolutely not about mercy. -- Charles
Reichert, Canada
=I wrote a letter, in October 2000, to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, then head of
the Congregation of the Doctrine and Faith, previously named the Office of the
Inquisition, showing that a careful reading of the Official Roman Catholic
Catechism could support Gay and Lesbian Marriage. Section 2349 of the
Catechism quotes St. Ambrose, the bishop that converted St. Augustine: "There
are three forms of the virtue of chastity: the first is that of spouses, the
second that of widows, and the third that of virgins. We do not praise any one
of them to the exclusion of the others....This is what makes for the richness
of the discipline of the Church." Infertile married couples are allowed "conjugal
chastity" If the Roman church permitted Gay and Lesbian couples to marry,
they would be under the same rule. -- Lisa Rodke
http://www.dw-world.de © Deutsche Welle
Dì Gay
Project Onlus
www.digayproject.org
Media
eNewsletter
22 June 2005
15
The Gay Village Rome is back--June 30 to August
31, 2005
After three lucky summers in the popular quarter of Testaccio, Roma,
the event
moves to Park San Sebastiano and throws its new slogan: "Follow your Nature".
The chosen location satisfies the need to find a place where to be able to
dance and to make music without disturbing the residents; the green of the
Park will
accommodate the top event of the Roman Summer, attended last year by more
than 350,000 people from all the world. Organized by Dì Gay Project
Onlus and
Best Events One agency, with the support of the Council of Rome, the Gay
Village
will start June 30 to continue until August 31, with the usual tested
formula and some interesting innovations.
Cinema, theatre, discotheque, sport, during different time shifts thought for
people of various age and tastes. And, as usual, great attention to the social
issue: between the initiatives, the distribution of informative material on
the AIDS, condoms and the organization of corners with doctors and volunteers,
the
all in collaboration with NPS - Italian Network of Sieropositive Persons.
Among the innovations of the Gay Village 2005 the cycle
of encounters "Rainbow
Wave - from the Radio to the Gay Village" with reading of Matteo Bianchi,
writer and journalist of Radio 2, with the literary kermess of Platinette from
Radio Deejay and with Marco Baldini, the conductor with Fiorello of Viva Radio
2. Not to be missed an evening dedicated to love with lectures from San Francesco
d’Assisi and Iacopone da Todi with the special participation of the
famous Italian actor Paolo Villaggio.
Two reviews that recorded great success last year will come back: the "Mondays
of the Theatre" presented by Pino Strabioli with the great interpreters
of the Italian scene, and the Cinematographic Review (on 35mm) "Drive Out".
Under the artistic direction of Pino Strabioli, Mondays will accommodate actors
and musicians, between readings and shows. It will begin with the unusual pair
composed by movie actor Claudio Santamaria and the Orchestrina of Leo Sanfelice
(4 July), to continue with Leopoldo Mastelloni (11 July) in the show "Females".
Paolo Villaggio in a Hymn to Love with readings from San Francesco d’Assisi
and Iacopone da Todi (8 August), the pair Maria Amelia Monti and Ariella Reggio
in "Good News" by Edoardo Erba (25 July), Piera Degli Esposti (1
August), and after the successes of 2004, the return of Lina Sastri (29 August)
and Marina
Confalone (18 July).
The fil rouge that will tie the evenings of the Gay Village is a homage to
great women of the past and icons of the gay community. From Dalida interpreted
by
Maria Letizia Gorga, to Coco Chanel remembered in a recital from Cesare Belsito.
From the pornstar Moana Pozzi, brought back to life in the pièce "Moana.
The spot "Where the sea is deeper" by Letizia Letza to the voices of
the best famous singers of the 70s and 80s, electronically remixed by the Turinese
group "Coniglio Viola" in "Take back your square roots" First
time in Rome (24 August), "Antigone" in the direction of Roberto Guicciardini
and musics by Academy Award winner Nicola Piovani. A great show settled in one
evocative and fascinating frame. The review "Drive Out" from August
8 to 20 will propose in this third edition a dozen of movies in preview,
coming from all the world and representing with force the lesbian and gay
image.
And finally music for dancing! Every evening from 11pm, two dancefloors will
be animated by the Gay Village DJ’s. On Mondays house music with Soulful;
on Tuesdays transgender music with the Drag Jay Vladimir Luxuria; on Wednesdays
Disco Superbear; on Thursdays live from Radio Centro Suono Night; on Fridays
- in the main dancefloor - house DJ's coming from the top events of the European
summer, while in the second dancefloor, the mythical Omogenic evenings. On weekends,
Saturdays will dance to the tunes of the "Kindergarden" resident DJ’s
and Sundays to "Venus&Friends". The Gay Village resident DJ’s
are: Lusky, Paola Dee, MaxC, Valeria, Fabrizio Marini, Lorenzo Rossi, Francesco
Assenza, Andrea G - Basc, Brezet, Gaia. Guest DJ’s will be: Lorenzo LSP
from the Pervert Gold of Milan, Ricky, Locodice, Switch, Peace Division, Smokin'
Jo and Tim Sheridan in "Nasty Dirty Sex Music".
In the ArcoTurismo travel corner the very gay-friendly destinations Stockholm
(July 9 to 15), the British Tourist Authority with London and Manchester
(July 16 to 22), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (July 23 to 29), Vienna (July 30
to August
5) and Copenhagen & Oresund (August 6 to 12) will present themselves
with their offers to the expected 350.000 visitors of the Gay Village.
Tickets are: from Sunday to Thursday 6 Euro, Friday and Saturday 12
Euro. A seven days pass is available for 25 Euro.INTERNET INFOSwww.gayvillage.it
www.digayproject.org
www.arcoturismo.com
www.qtm-expo.com
ANY FURTHER REFERENCE:Press Agency Carla Fabi e Barbara Ghinfanti
Tel.: +39/06/8742-0509, Fax: +39/06/8742-0388
eMail: info@fabighinfanti.it
Alfred J. Cahak - International Public Relations
Tel.: +43/699/1184-2825, Fax: +43/1/817-6049
eMail: alfred@qtm-expo.com
Published
on the Web by IOL
June 22, 2005
16
Italian
men in touch with their softer sides New York
- Italian men are nowhere near as macho and domineering as some old
stereotypes might
suggest, according to a new study by researchers at the University
of Missouri. The study, which appears in an upcoming issue of Pyschology
Of Men And Masculinity suggests that Italian men, while still endorsing
the playboy stereotype, are substantially less homophobic and sexist
than
their American counterparts.
The study required 152 Italian males from universities in
Rome and Palermo to fill in surveys that examined 11 "masculine traits":
winning, risk-taking, emotional control, violence, power over women,
dominance, self-reliance, playboy, primacy of work, disdain for homosexuality
and pursuit of status.
The results were compared to another study in which 752 American
men filled out a similar survey.
The researchers found that Italian men reported significantly lower
adherence to nine of the 11 categories.
The only norm that Italian males endorsed significantly higher
was the playboy norm which, according to the researchers, "supports
the stereotype of the flirtatious and emotional Italian male vying
for the attention of a woman".
Glenn Good, a professor of educational, school and counselling psychology
who led the study, said he he was particularly surprised by the Italian
males' lesser endorsement of disdain for homosexuals and power over
women.
The results, Good said, seemed counter-intuitive in light of Italy's
more hidden gay and lesbian community and its greater disparity between
men and women in positions of power. "
It may be that, in general, Italian males feel less threatened
by the gay and lesbian community because this community is less visible
than
in the United States," Good said.
"
And Italian males may not perceive themselves as having power over
women because of the traditional power of women within the Italian
family structure," he added.
zoomata.com
http://www.zoomata.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1119
June 24, 2005
17
Italian city workers take 'gay rights' classes
City employees in Rome are taking seminars to give them a
better understanding of gays and the gay community.
Called a preventative measure against homophobia, participants in the six-session
course are workers from the office for relations with the public (URP). The
course is the brainchild of Mariella Gramaglia, city councilor responsible
for communications
and equal opportunities, who has over the years led a series
of anti-discrimination measures in the Eternal City. Courses, led by a team
of activists and academics, started June 15. Gramaglia hopes to export the
program in the fall to another 19 towns in Italy.
"
Rome isn't just an city open to art, but it is a city with an open mind," she
said. "We targeted people who are on the front lines for dealing with
the public, it is a first for Italy."
Her words may have rattled the papal scepter just a few miles away in the Vatican.
Recently-appointed Pope Benedict XVI is seen by many as a foe of gay rights,
as a cardinal he once called homosexuality a "tendency ordered toward
an intrinsic moral evil."
The battle for separation between church and state in Italy is bound to be
a long one. With the backing of the Pope, the church successfully mounted a
boycott of the June referendum to ease Italy's strict fertility laws.
365Gay.com
July 10, 2005
18
Rome
Gays Demand Marriage Rights
Rome - More than 50,000 people lined the streets of Rome's historic
city center for this weekend's gay Pride celebration. Marchers called
for equal rights for gay and lesbian couples, many of them carrying
signs praising Spain for its decision to allow same-sex
couples to marry.
Although Italy provides some rights to gay couples the provisions
are considered sparse by European standards and do not include adoption. Italy's
right of center government has committed itself to maintaining the
status quo and has been critical of Spain's decision.
On June
30, Spain's parliament passed legislation allowing gays to marry
(story)
over protests from the Vatican. Holland and Belgium also allow
gays to marry. Most other European Union nations have varying forms
of
civil
unions and domestic partner registries.
Several men in cassocks and women in nun's habits marched in the
parade but it was not clear if they were clergy or people dressed
up as Roman
Catholic priests and nuns. One float was dedicated to same-sex
marriage and featured dancing drag queens in wedding dresses.
Not everyone on the sidelines was supportive, however, the night
before signs were posted along the parade route that read "Peverse!" and "No
Thanks!".
Midway through the parade the music blaring from sound trucks became
silent and the march ground to a halt for a moment of silence dedicated
to those who died in last week's terrorist attack in London.
Rome officials had asked Pride organizers to call off the parade
as a sign of respect over the terrorist attacks, but Arcigay, Italy's
leading LGBT civil rights group decided to go ahead with the parade
but to include a memorial for the victims of the bombings. "We
are here for freedom and against terrorism. Terrorism is the son
of intolerance and discrimination," said spokesperson
Fabrizio Marrazzo of the gay rights group Arcigay. Many of the
marchers wore black armbands as a sign of mourning.
365Gay,com
September
5, 2005
19
Italy's
Health Minister Slams Hospital For Refusing Gay Blood
by Malcolm Thornberry 365Gay.com European Bureau Chief
Rome - Italy's health minister has ordered an inquiry into a Milan
hospital that refused to allow a gay man to donate blood. Under Italian
law gays cannot be turned away as blood donors.
Last week, Paolo Pedote, a 39-year-old writer, was told by the Policlinico
Hospital that he was ineligible to donate blood after he informed a
nurse that he is gay.
When he was told the hospital refused to accept blood from gays Pedote
reminded the nurse that Italian law does not discriminate.
He was then informed that the decision was based on an "internal
policy" not to accept gay male donors.
Health Minister Francesco Storace on Monday called the hospital's position "very
serious and unacceptable".
"We intend to determine the administrative responsibility," Storace
said in announcing the inquiry. "But what has happened could also be grounds
for a criminal investigation."
The hospital refuses to budge. Paolo Rebulla, the director of the Policlinico's
transfusion center, told the Corriere della Sera newspaper that he stands by
the staff's position.
Rebulla said told the paper that the hospital has "a fundamental duty
to protect patients who receive blood".
Gays are currently banned from donating blood in the US, Canada, Australia
and a number of other countries.
Last month an Australian gay man who was rejected as a blood donor filed a
lawsuit against the Red Cross.
In the United States the Red Cross has been banned from holding blood donor
clinics on several campuses because of the gay ban. In April, students at the
University of New Hampshire held an information picket at a blood donor clinic.
© 365Gay.com 2005
The
Observer http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1572822,00.html
September
18, 2005
20
Italy snaps over gay poster excess
by Barbara McMahon in Rome
Half-naked models are commonplace on Italy's advertising
hoardings but a kiss between two fully dressed men has
caused a furore on the streets of its capital. Photographer
Oliviero Toscani has ignited a furious debate over homosexuality
with his latest adverts featuring two men kissing and groping on
a sofa. The billboards have triggered outrage at a time when the
rights
of homosexual couples are being hotly debated in Catholic Italy.
Another
shows the same model lying across the sofa and pulling his boyfriend
on top of
him
for a
kiss.
'These
posters are vulgar and a bad example for our children,' said
a spokesman for the parents association MOIGE, which wants the
adverts banned. 'It's not a matter of sexual orientation. They would
be crass
even if they featured a man and a woman.' Complaints have flooded
in to the offices of Rome city council and an organisation called
The Citizens Defence Movement has joined the chorus of criticism.
'Obviously
we respect homosexuality but it can be difficult to explain to
young
children,' a spokesman said.
Toscani, who was behind the controversial Benetton clothing company
adverts and whose career has been built on shock tactics, was
typically unrepentant. The 63-year-old photographer admitted
he had taken advantage
of the current debate in Italy about the legal and civil rights
of gay couples.
'There's a big discussion going on about homosexuality in Italy
so I thought it was the right time to do something like this," he
told The Observer. "I don't think it's vulgar. It's just two
men having fun together. These parents who are complaining - their
kids
already know about this stuff. The Vatican is not too happy with
me either but the church is an anachronism in the world today. I
don't
think it has any influence on young people.'
During his 18-year collaboration with Benetton, Toscani was accused
of cynicism in using controversial images for commercial ends.
They included a dying Aids activist, handicapped children, a
man slain by
the Mafia, and a nun kissing a priest. In 2000 he left the company
after a campaign featuring death row inmates sparked a series
of law suits.
Demands for the adverts to be withdrawn have had little success. A
spokesman for Rome city council said it was not their job to decide
what was morally acceptable in advertising.
Catholic News Service
http://www.catholicnews.comHOMOSEXUALS-LOSSERVATORE
November 29, 2005
21
Vatican says homosexual men not suitable for priesthood
by Cindy Wooden
Even if they have never had a gay sexual experience and
are fully committed to celibacy, homosexual men are not suitable candidates for
the priesthood, said a long article in the Vatican newspaper.
Titled "Reflections on the Document," the article was published Nov.
29 with the text of the Congregation for Catholic Education's new instruction
on accepting homosexuals as candidates for the priesthood.
The article -- the only explanatory text the Vatican published with the document
-- was written by French Msgr. Tony Anatrella, a psychoanalyst and consultant
to the Pontifical Council for the Family.
"Candidates who have 'deep-seated homosexual tendencies,' that is, an exclusive
attraction to persons of the same sex -- independently of whether or not they
have had erotic experiences -- cannot be admitted to the seminary or to holy
orders," he wrote in the newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano.
Msgr. Anatrella said the Vatican felt it "necessary to recall once again
that homosexuality always has been one of the difficulties that impedes access
to holy orders."
In cultures where homosexuality increasingly is seen as a "normal quality" rather
than as "a problem in the psychic organization" of a person's sexuality,
he said, the church's teaching needed to be reaffirmed.
Homosexuals have a place in the church just like any other baptized person, Msgr.
Anatrella said. They are to be welcomed, supported and helped "to live in
fidelity to their baptism and to assume all the moral consequences of the Christian
life, but they cannot be called to holy orders."
"Unfortunately, for many years in some countries a permissive attitude has
allowed people to think that candidates (for the priesthood) who have this tendency
could be ordained as long as they assumed perfect continence," or remained
celibate, he said.
Problems and scandals have proven that a permissive attitude "lacked lucidity
and wisdom," the monsignor said.
While "sexual transgressions" are a particular concern, he said, there
are "collateral effects inherent" in accepting gay men into the seminary
and ordaining them to the priesthood because of "typical behaviors and expressions
on the part of these personalities."
He said they tend to have few friends, to close themselves off from others in "a
clan of persons of the same type," to resent the claims on their time made
by parishioners, to encourage other gay men to enter the priesthood and to deal
with authority predominantly as a matter of "seduction and rejection."
At the same time, he said, the church affirms the validity of the ordination
of its priests, including those who may have homosexual tendencies. While such
priests may need special support, he said, the Catholic Church is committed to
ensuring that they are not attacked and do not become the objects
of gossip. "One vigorously must oppose denunciations and all forms of suspicion
and
innuendo which could attack the personal dignity of ordained ministers," he
said.
Nevertheless, Msgr. Anatrella wrote, "One must free oneself from the idea
that leads one to believe that, insofar as a homosexual person respects his commitment
to continence lived in chastity, there will not be problems and he can therefore
be ordained a priest."
A "commitment in holy orders presupposes that the candidate has attained
a sufficient affective and sexual maturity coherent with his masculine sexual
identity," the article said.
"He must, in principle, be suitable for marriage and able to exercise fatherhood
over his children. And it is under those mature conditions that he renounces
exercising them in order to give himself to God in the priesthood," the
monsignor wrote.
Msgr. Anatrella repeatedly affirmed the need for a priest to be heterosexual
in order to see himself and for others to see him as the "bridegroom of
the church" and as a "spiritual father" to those to whom he is
ministering.
"A homosexual person would have difficulty incarnating this symbolic reality
of the spousal bond and spiritual paternity," he said.
Because the priest acts in the "person of Christ," Msgr. Anatrella
said, the church calls only "men mature in their masculine identity" to
the diaconate and priesthood.
"The church has the right to refuse holy orders to those who do not have
the requested attitudes or who, in one way or another, are not in harmony with
the teaching it has received from its divine master," he wrote.
"The church has the right to recall once again that the homosexual tendency
is a counterindication to the call to holy orders," he said.
Msgr. Anatrella provided a long list of warning signs that should alert seminary
rectors and staff members to the possibility that a seminarian is homosexual.
Among worrying signs, he listed: students who had trouble relating to their fathers;
are uncomfortable with their own identity; tend to isolate themselves; have difficulty
in discussing sexual questions; view pornography on the Internet; demonstrate
a deep sense of guilt; or often see themselves as victims.
A man with homosexual tendencies, he said, "should not be accepted for formation
or, if he was accepted before being aware of his situation, his formation must
be interrupted."
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