Valencia, Spain, Jun 25, 2016 / 13:49 pm
A judge in Spain has thrown out a "hate crime" case concerning Cardinal Antonio Cañizares of Valencia, Spain, ruling that the cardinal's homily warning of a "gay empire" is protected by freedom of speech.
During a May 13 homily, Cardinal Canizares voiced support for "the precious good of the Christian family" and denounced what he called a push by politicians and the "gay empire" to promote "radical feminism" and "gender theory," calling it the "most insidious of all."
On June 3, the Valencian LGBT group Lambda filed a criminal complaint against Cardinal Canizares, decrying his homily as "homophobic and male chauvinist statements" that do nothing but incite hatred.
The Spanish Immigration Network also filed a legal complaint against the cardinal accusing him of xenophobia when, in the same homily, he questioned the background of refugees coming to Spain.