¿Por qué no te callas?: Archbishop Dadeus Grings

The Catholic Church has been rocked this year by allegations of child abuse across world and Latin America has been no exception. From Mexico to Chile the Vatican has come under intense scrutiny not only over accusations of abuse but also purportedly trying to cover-up accused clerics. The Pope’s recent takeover of the scandal-plagued Legionaries of Christ was a small step in repairing the deepening distrust by Catholics against the Vatican. Yet some Church officials unfortunately prefer to play the blame game and issue wild and shameful statements.

Brazilian Archbishop Dadeus Grings is no stranger to making terrible remarks; as we mentioned in March 2009, he came under fire for trying to downplay the millions of Jews killed during the Holocaust. This month Grings made his way back in the headlines with his comments at a Brazilian bishops' annual conference to O Globo:

"We know that the adolescent is spontaneously homosexual. Boys play with boys, girls play with girls," he said. "If there is no proper guidance, this sticks. The question is — how are we going to educate our children to use a sexuality that is human and suitable?"

Grings also said the acceptance of homosexuality in society could pave the way for the acceptance of pedophilia.

"When sexuality is trivialized, it's clear that this is going to affect all cases. Homosexuality is such a case. Before, the homosexual wasn't spoken of. He was discriminated against.

"When we begin to say they have rights, rights to demonstrate publicly, pretty soon, we'll find the rights of pedophiles," he said.

Though Grings would also condemn abuse by priests, his slippery slope-style logic does nothing to repair the deep wounds within the Church. Reform is needed and the Vatican must be more transparent in the investigation of alleged wrongdoings. Grings’ search for scapegoats is an unwanted distraction and a slap in the face not only to the gay community but to Catholics worldwide.

Why don’t you just shut up Archbishop Grings?

Image- daylife.com
Online Sources- PRESS TV, AP, MSNBC, ABC Online, The Latin Americanist