As if we didn’t have enough homegrown advocates or apologists for homosexuality: an American priest now assails us. This should thrill those who constantly - and wrongly - accuse all people who object to homosexuality of being bible bashers. Here’s a professional bible basher feeding them more of what they like.

True, he doesn’t say that homosexuality is a good or normal thing. But he tacitly gives it the nod by asking for them to be treated just like everyone else. He treats a Vatican directive on the matter with contempt. Under the new Australian IR laws, he could be legally sacked! Perhaps he, along with his lesbian friends, should leave the church. He could then denounce his own enforced celibacy and then be in a better position to take a normal view of life.

This article even if dated (2004) reminds me of the movie "the revenge of the nerds'. No disrespect intended to our fellow gay and lesbian citizens.

When it comes to accept gay and lesbians as Christian brothers and sisters then that is impossible because the "Gospel of Jesus" also mentions in John ; ' you must be born again...' meaning you have to die to your old ways and enter the family of God.

Baptising a child (or infant) does not make them a member of God's family. They must want to be born again by their own mature volition.

You cannot change the “Gospel of Jesus” to suit your wicked schemes. Chipping away at the Church and the Gospel is not going to make it crumble so you can rebuild it to your own taste.

Jesus loves you and died for your sins and is asking you to repent and sin no more… so don't insult him please!

Further more Jesus loves children and said: “let the children come to me” i.e. “do not hinder their chances to listen to my voice and understand my teachings…”

So by growing in a sinful (yet loving) environment – same-sex parents are making a mockery of Jesus’ teachings and commands by giving the child a false concept of love and the Gospel.

1 John:
6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
7Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.
8He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.

The love one another can only apply to his real followers… the born again ones...not the pretend church-going ones.

A better suited command for the article should have been “love your enemies…

How typical, OLO's resident hate-filled homophobes jumping on this article and denouncing what is to most people a logical, reasoned argument, not that they would know what that is.

No Leigh, i'm not an apologist for homosexuality, homosexuality has no reason to apologise to the likes of you.

And Coach, I am a spiritual person who beleives in God, but because of people like you, I reject the church and its narrow, inflexible view of the world, I'm sure all the good christians in the world don't wish to thank you for vandalising their otherwise humane institution.

It is naive for the lesbian couple to expect acceptance in the Church, it isn't going to happen. The Church and gays and lesbians clearly need some distance and leave each other alone. Lets be realistic here, there is a time and a place. There are gay churches in the gap, but they are an Island.

That being said, the statement from the Vatican that describes allowing gays and lesbians adopting children as an act of "violence", actually provokes violence towards this minority group. A very nasty and deliberate choice of words.

Soon after this statement was made by a the Pope, a former member of Hitler's youth, the regime that mass murdered over 20,000 homosexuals in the WWII holocaust, has provoked violent anti gay riots in Poland and Russia.

In Warsaw this year, the riots have been caused by mobs of neo-Nazis, arm in arm with Roman Catholic Priests, bombing gay night clubs, a bohemian area that included their AIDS prevention offices, their Green Party Headquarters, and social welfare offices. All of these were blockaded and the precinct was burnt down.

The minority groups and social welfare advocates were violently bashed, kicked, and the pavements were covered in blood. In Russia more recently, the neo-Nazi's and church caused more violent "terrorism", and again, the police did very little to stop it.

The Vatican gives their connections violent language in Catholic and Orthodox countries and they respond with violent behaviour towards minority groups. Just like Ratzinger did when he was in Hitler's youth. He hasn't changed his spots at all. Once a Nazi, always a Nazi. The Pope just wanted to "blend in" when he was younger?

Did Jesus try to "blend in" to a Nazi party? NO! He made a stand against them and paid dearly for it.

The statement that the Vatican made was a serious attack. They should be held accountable for it.

Shame on the Catholic church. Jesus is not on your side.

"calling gays and lesbians ‘disordered’ and ‘violent’ don't make them feel welcome and respected by the church"

Perhaps this is what the Church is actually trying to say. After centuries of this, as well as lots of stake burnings and other wonderful enquisitions and turtores you would expect the message to get through.

Spitting derision at anyone who deviates from traditional policies - as determined in closed sessions with internal elites - is the whole point of churches.

If you want to think for yourself, or openly accept your own (let alone anybody else's) sexuality, you're just going to have to leave churches behind until they catch up.

If they ever catch up.