Madrid, Spain, Apr 18, 2012 / 15:04 pm
An international group of Catholic doctors voiced support for a Spanish bishop who has come under media fire for criticizing destructive behaviors within the local gay community.
“Catholic doctors profoundly respect persons with homosexual traits,” but “do not support the practice of homosexuality,” said the International Federation of Catholic Doctors Associations in an April 17 statement siding with the bishop.
Bishop Juan Antonio Reig Pla of Alcala de Henares has faced intense criticism after remarks given in a Good Friday sermon in which he condemned sexual practices he believes to be harmful.
As part of a larger cultural critique of sexual behavior in modern society, he lamented how some with same-sex attraction “corrupt and prostitute themselves or go to gay night clubs” in order to “validate” their struggle.