CHANGE OF HEART

On Second Thought, Maybe Prayer Can’t “Fix” Gay People, Bishop Says

Jean-Marie-LoveyA Catholic bishop in Switzerland has walked back statements he made about “praying the gay away.”

Last week, Bishop of Sion Jean-Marie Lovey told La Nouvelliste newspaper that homosexuality was a “sickness” and could be “cured” through prayer, claiming [some people are] “like that in the beginning, but that is not to say that it cannot be changed.”

“Psychological cures exist,” he said. “Homosexuality can be cured.”

Naturally, a lot of people were upset by this. The Lesbian Organization of Switzerland immediately called for Lovey to “correct his slip up,” issuing a statement that read, in part, “Such remarks incite rejection, exclusion and cause profound grief to young people.”

Related: Being Gay Is The Same As Having Down’s Syndrome Or Spina Bifida, Catholic Bishop Says

Well, what a difference a week makes. Because in a new interview with Le Matin newspaper published earlier this week, the bishop apologized. Sort of.

He said his comments were misinterpreted and that he regretted any pain he may have caused.

“I never wanted to hurt or stigmatize anyone,” Lovey said. “I don’t consider homosexuality to be an illness.”

“But,” he continued, “I do know people whose homosexual tendencies were fleeting, without claiming this is the case for everyone. I used the term ‘cure’ for a person who was homosexual and who talks in these terms about his personal experience.”

Who is this person? We’d like to meet him and see if this story adds up.

Related: Antigay Archbishop May Have Had Gay Sex With Other Priests, Of Course

h/t: GayStarNews

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