The archbishop emeritus of Pamplona,
Spain, Fernando Sebastian, has labeled being gay a physical “defect”
that can be cured.
Last week, Pope Francis named Sebastian
a cardinal. He'll take up his post next month.
“Homosexuality is a defective manner
of expressing sexuality,” Sebastian told daily Diario
Sur, “because [sex] has a structure and a purpose, which is
procreation.”
A gay person who cannot procreate “is
failing,” Sebastian said.
Sebastian went on to compare being gay
to his high blood pressure.
“Our bodies have many defects. I
have high blood pressure,” he said.
He said that the comparison was not “an
insult,” because it is “possible to recover and become normal
with the right treatment.”
Sebastian insisted his views are in
line with those of the pope, who has said he is not in a position to
judge gay people.
“It's one thing to be compassionate
towards a homosexual person and another thing to morally justify the
practice of homosexuality,” he
said.
(Related: Pope
Francis says children of gay couples provide the church with new
challenge.)