When you remind yourself that the Catholic Church still hasn’t come around on the use of contraceptives (and are making a political issue of state-funded birth control), it makes more sense that the leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales thinks two homo-seck-sual partners are just really, really, realllly good friends.
The Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, gave the Telegraph his opinion on a gay couple who wants to get married:
“I would want to say to them that I understand their desires, that I understand their experience of love is vitally important in their lives, but I would want to say to them that they are called in my view, in the church’s view, to a very profound friendship in life.
“I would want them to be respected, but I would want them to have a vision in themselves that what they are called to is not marriage but a very profound and lifelong friendship.”
Just FYI, Rev. Nich—just as you completely ignore the romantic part of straight people’s marriages (sex only for procreation! no condoms!), you’re missing one of the most beautiful things about a gay relationship: the sex part.
It’s a more compassionate view than the Pope’s, for sure, but it’s still a backward view that ignores the reality of healthy relationships. How many of your friends’ relationships take a death knell once the sex gets bad or is just not happening anymore?
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
God made sex for people! Because it’s fun! And feels great. Get with it, Church.
Photo via Catholic Church
The Real Mike in Asheville
I do not agree that the Archbishop’s remarks are “more compassionate” than the Poops. This is simply smoke-and-mirror rebranding of the Catholic’ Church’s anti-gay rhetoric.
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In deed, I think it is even more bigoted and evil. Taking the Archbishop at his own words, he says he understands the deepness of the love and desires of gay couples, yet turns around and labels our love and our desires as friendships, essentially saying, undeserving of the societal respect given straight couples for their deep love and desires.
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It is a fraudulent effort to make the Church appear humane and reasonable, when, in fact, it offers nothing more than the antiquated and bigoted position the Church has maintained all along. This Archbishop is no friend, he is a fiend.
Robert in NYC
The Telegraph is run by catholics, so no surprise there. They’re simply doing the cult’s bidding. Such a pity the Catholic Emancipation Act was passed. Time for a revisit I think.
Steve
Spoken by someone who never loved a single person in his life except maybe an altar boy
Jim Hlavac
So, the man in the dress says: ““I would want them to be respected, but I would want them to have a vision in themselves that what they are called to is not marriage but a very profound and lifelong friendship.”
Well, who the hell does he think he is to tell me what my relationship may or may not be?
And what’s with the “them” and “their” in talking to me, rather than “you” and “your” — it’s like being in the same room with someone and they keep referring to you as “he.”
iDavid
“Friends” don’t f*** each other ad nauseam every other day. Leave it to the AntiChrist on which the church is built to keep everything confused.
iDavid
Christianity = Church of the AntiChrist.
DonsterNYC
I just don’t get this Catholic Church. The Church once blest same-sex unions and we have archival records to prove it. Records of Christian same sex unions have been discovered in such diverse archives as those in the Vatican, in St. Petersburg, in Paris, in Istanbul and in the Sinai, covering a thousand-years from the 8th to the 18th century.
The ceremonies mirrored heterosexual marriage rites. The Dominican missionary and Prior, Jacques Goar (1601-1653), includes such ceremonies in a printed collection of prayer books, “Euchologion Sive Rituale Graecorum Complectens Ritus Et Ordines Divinae Liturgiae” (Paris, 1667).
Why do they have to be so hypocritical and make all this so insanely difficult. Sometimes I believe that they just have to have a class of people to persecute or they feel they aren’t doing their job.
Christopher Banks
To use a phrase a common in New Zealand – yeah, right.
A life long friendship – with jizz!
It’s so Basil Fawlty: “don’t mention the anus!”
Robert in NYC
Amazing that Queerty never picked up on the marriage equality consultation in the UK which began yesterday.
Evan Mulvihill
@Robert in NYC: We know about it. We’ve written about issues arising from it. Will cover when more happens.
the crustybastard
I would want to say to religious people that I understand their desire to believe in supernatural beings and miracles, that I understand their religious experience is vitally important in their lives, but I would want to say to them that they are called in my view, to stop trying to find easy explanations in ancient superstitions, or at least stop trying to bind non-believers to your personal religious doctrines.
I would want believers to be treated fairly, but I would want them to have a vision in themselves that belief is not fact, nor are their superstitions other people’s realities.
Joetx
“Very profound and lifelong friendships?”
So that’s the euphemism Catholic clergy use to refer to their own behind-closed doors relationships.
Belize
Well, this is new to me.
See, even the EU anti-LGBTs are light years ahead of the US anti-LGBTs.
tinkerbell
Friendship??? Idiots like this reaffirm my a-theistic logic.
Shannon1981
@tinkerbell: Ditto. Religion is the scourge of the planet, and anytime anyone asks me why I feel that way I use the corrupt, vile, child abusing religious cult that is the Catholic Church as Exhibit A.
iDavid
Yep……The Church = AntiChrist. Causing more despair death and separation than any other entity on the planet.
Nasir
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The Real Mike in Asheville
@Shannon1981: It’s not religion that is the scourge, the scourge is organized religion.
iDavid
@The real Mike ….
What religion isn’t organized? Abraham is the scourge, it’s just that basic.