Gay Group Calls on Gay Catholics to “Debaptise” Themselves

KENILWORTH, 1 AUGUST 2003 — Gay Catholics should take steps to cut their links with the church that hates them, says the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA).

GALHA calls on gay Catholics to abandon the Church after the Vatican issued an abusive statement calling on politicians to resist the move to legalise gay marriage.

GALHA spokesperson Terry Sanderson said: “It is clear that the Vatican has declared open war on gay people around the world, and it is important that we hit back. First of all, those gay people who have been born Catholic should actively renounce their connections with the Church. They should send a letter to the diocese in which they were born stating that they no longer wished to be regarded as a Catholic, and making clear why.

“The Vatican’s vicious and insulting attack is the last straw. Gay people who have been contributing to the Church with money and resources should stop doing so immediately. They should cease conspiring with their persecutors and instead fight back to ensure the happiness and safety of gay people around the world.”

Mr Sanderson said that the Vatican’s pronouncement issued on 31 July was an invitation to homophobic governments to crack down hard on their gay citizens. “It justifies and reinforces evil,” he said. “There are some Catholic countries, particularly in South America, that already persecute gay people. The Pope seems to want to encourage that. The Vatican’s document is also anti-democratic in that it encourages Catholic politicians to vote for Catholic dogma and against their conscience.”

Mr Sanderson pointed out that a special “Debaptism Certificate” can be downloaded from www.secularism.org.uk/baptism.htm.