D66
Europarlementariër Sophie in 't Veld veroordeelt de discriminerende
opmerkingen van het Vaticaan gericht tegen homo's in een door Paus
Ratzinger goedgekeurd document waarin homo's worden uitgesloten van
het ambt van priester. De Intergroup voor Homorechten, waarvan In 't
Veld vice-voorzitter is, hekelt deze discriminatie en betreurt het
gebrek aan tolerantie, begrip en dialoog van de kerkelijke leiders. De
officiële verklaring van de Intergroup:
"Once again the Vatican has come up with some discriminatory remarks
towards the homosexual community. Vatican paper reads 'if a candidate
practices homosexuality or has homosexual tendency deeply rooted, his
spiritual director, as well as his confessor, have the duty to
dissuade him, in conscience, from becoming priest' - document approved
by Pope Ratzinger and signed by others. 'The Church...cannot admit in
a seminar people who practice homosexuality, have homosexual
tendencies deeply rooted or support the so-called gay culture'
The Lesbian and Gay Rights Intergroup Officers call the comments by
the Vatican 'sad, ill-informed and based in prejudice. The Vatican
should be teaching tolerance, understanding and discussion instead of
promoting the doctrine of exclusion and prejudice. We live in a Europe
where ECHR is considered the benchmark of how we treat individuals.
Sadly the Vatican falls well below such international standards and as
such its promotion of prejudice should be ignored by decent, law
obeying citizens of the EU and the wider world'.
The Vatican represents a view which has passed. By changing to the
prejudices of the past the Vatican proves that it loses its voice for
the future. It is unacceptable that such statements are still in
practice in the EU where we promote democracy, human rights and
fundamental freedoms to third countries as our basic values and
principles.
It is every Member States duty to promote these same values in their
own country and within the EU in order to build a non-discriminatory
and tolerant society within the Union".
24-11-2005 17:10