¿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

Brazilian bishop caught in Holocaust faux pas

Brazil’s Catholic Church is still trying to recover from the intolerance and lack of understanding by some leaders over an abortion done by a raped minor. Some local priests, to their credit, have tried to show more compassion at the nine-year-old girl who was systematically abused by her stepfather.

Another firestorm has developed after a Brazilian archbishop made several eye-raising remarks over the Holocaust:

"The Jews talk about six million people killed. But how many Catholics were victims of the Holocaust? They were 22 million in all," Archbishop Dadeus Grings, from Porto Alegre in southern Brazil, told advertising magazine Press & Advertising.

The archbishop also contended that while "Jews say they were the main victims of the Holocaust, the biggest victims were the gypsies, because they were exterminated."

Grings’ comments were quickly criticized by local Jewish groups. "To diminish the Holocaust is an attack against the millions of people killed in a war unleashed by fanaticism and intolerance," said a statement from the Jewish federation of Rio Grande do Sul.(Porto Alegre is home to Brazil's third largest Jewish community, with approximately 12,000 Jews.)

Grings’ diatribe also blasted stem-cell research and defended the Crusades against the Muslims several centuries ago.

Nearly two months ago a British bishop was ousted from his post as head of an Argentine seminary after he publicly denied the Holocaust from ever occurring.

Image- pastoral.com.br
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, LAHT, JTA, AFP, PRESS TV