Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Bishop Kaleta said tourism is important to the Vatican. Although there is no centralized tourism department to advertise and promote such visits. The Bishop said: “If you think about Europe, most of its architecture is connected with churches. It would be good to educate the people to honor these places.” He added that religious tourism in the form of pilgrimages is seen as a very good development, because “they are mostly connected not with the most rich of society; most are of average to the lower incomes.”
However, gay or lesbian tourism is viewed as an abuse of the Vatican.
When asked about gay and lesbian tourist groups, the Bishop bleated the typical homophobic rhetoric we’ve come to expect from the Catholic church:
“The church teachings are from the Bible. If we change this teaching, we will not be the Catholic Church. Don’t expect the Catholic church to change these issues, because it is our identity. I consider if someone is homosexual, it is abuse of our buildings and our religion. If you have different ideas, go to a different location.”
Noted, Bishop Kaleta. No chance I will ever set foot in St. Peter’s Basilica.
From the Left 
Stupid comments from this Bishop. The Catholic church has been spent into near bankruptcy from paying out more than a billion dollars in various child-priest sex scandals around the globe. If they were smart business people, they would covet the gay tourist dollars.
How ironic to hear a Catholic Bishop mention “abuse.” Seems to me it’s the priests and the Pope who have been abusing people for decades. I guess when a priest abuses a little boy it’s OK, just as long as they don’t admit to being gay and the Pope can spew any type of hatred he wants, just so long as his words were blessed by Catholic doctrine.
So many interesting places to visit in Rome.
Why would any self-respecting LGBT tourist spend our time and money at the Vatican?
Don’t abuse the religion or the buildings but the altar boys are fair game…
Such a respect for life…can anyone say ‘relic’?
Out of curiosity, I typed into Google, “Global Payout to Settle Priest Abuse Cases.”
More than 15,000 pages came up. That’s correct, more than 15,000 pages.
Like this:
Kentucky diocese pays $120 million to settle 56 individual sex abuse claims.
And this:
The Society of Jesus, Oregon Province agreed to pay $50 million to more than 100 victims, for sexual abuse at the hands of their priest.
And this:
Australian Catholic Church’s pays $600 million to settle priest sex abuse claims. By far the largest.
And this:
The Los Angeles Dioces pays $114 million in several separate agreements, to settle 86 claims.
It’s rather stunning. Here is one of the largest churches on earth with a celebrated history of male pedophile priests sexually abusing children around the world but the Vatican is claiming gay and lesbian tourists abuse their faith? Talk about pot, meet kettle.
Scott Dancer – That data is stunning. No wonder the Catholic church is hurting for money. Between their dwindling membership and hundreds of millions in pay outs to settle sex abuse claims, Catholicism is at risk for becoming a footnote in a history book. I must say, the comments by this Bishop Kaleta make me feel sick to my stomach.
The Roman Catholic church is like a dinosaur.
I truly think it’s time as passed as it refuses to change and adapt to the 21st century.
If you look at nations, the more technologically developed they are, the smaller the footprint of the Catholic church. No wonder the Vatican is betting its future on tiny, third world nations in Africa and South America.
What an ignorant comment from this douchebag Bishop. Doesn’t he know? Gays almost always make buildings look better.
Could always go and pull an Ozzy.
Advice to queers and the people who love them: don’t give the church a dime (and they demand a lot more of that to go through St. Peter’s and the Vatican museum). Go to the FREE Pantheon instead. It’s a beautiful building and there are lots of lovely cafes around the square.
Here’s the Roman Catholic Church’s mentality.
Women = bad
Queers = bad
Child molesters = sacred
The Catholic Church leadership should be facing a RICO prosecution for protecting child raping priests.
Personally, I cannot wait to have my renunciation papers in hand. Removing the horrible stench that is the Catholic Church from myself and my family will be the most cleansing experience of our lives!!!!
I am appalled at the hypocrisy of this bottom feeding filthy hierarchy who call themselves “men of God”!! POND SCUM AT IT’S WORST!!!