Madrid, Spain, May 16, 2012 / 15:04 pm
A Spanish diocese has rejected a request by the city government to have Bishop Juan Antonio Reig Pla transferred due to a controversial Good Friday sermon that critics have labeled as “homophobic.”
“Our father and pastor, Juan Antonio Reig Pla, the Bishop of Alcala de Henares, has always taught Catholic doctrine with charity and truth, and he will continue to do so with the grace of God,” the diocese said in a statement.
The motion to transfer the bishop was presented by the group Union, Progress and Democracy and was backed by other left-leaning organizations as well as the Spanish Socialist Party. The ruling People’s Party, however, has opposed the motion, which demands that the bishop be transferred to another diocese and that he not be invited to any official event in the city.
Bishop Reig Pla has faced intense criticism after remarks given in a Good Friday sermon in which he condemned sexual practices he believes to be harmful.