The Vatican on Monday announced that
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of an anti-gay cardinal and
named his successor.
Monsignor Francisco Ozoria Acosta of
the Diocese of San Pedro de Macoris will succeed Cardinal Nicolas de
Jesus Lopez Rodriguez as the Archbishop of Santo Domingo, the
Washington
Blade reported.
Lopez has repeatedly used anti-gay
slurs to describe James “Wally” Brewster, the U.S. ambassador to
the Dominican Republic.
During a press conference held after
President Barack Obama nominated Brewster to the post in 2013, Lopez
referred to Brewster, who is openly gay and married to Bob Satawake,
as a “maricon,” which translates in English to “faggot.”
Last year, Lopez criticized comments
Brewster made about corruption in the Dominican Republic.
“That man needs to go back to his
embassy,” Lopez told reporters following a Mass. “Let him focus
on housework, since he's the wife to a man.”
He has also accused Brewster of
promoting a gay rights agenda in the Dominican Republic.
The announcement came a day after San
Domingo held its annual LGBT Pride celebration, which Brewster
attended.