Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal yesterday defended the alleged “anti-gay” actuations of Cebu Archdiocese media liaison officer Monsignor Achilles Dakay.
In an interview after the Holy Mass on the commemoration of “Kaplag” or the discovery of the image of the child Jesus, Vidal said that the Church does not accept homosexuality; that homosexual acts are immoral.
“We are not blaming people that they are like that, but it is their wrongdoings,” Vidal said.
In earlier interviews on the Church’s comment on the posting on the Internet of the operation done on a gay florist with a cologne spray canister stuck in his privates, Dakay said that inquiry should not be done only on the behavior of the medical personnel but on the acts of the patient/victim himself.
“It was not anti-gay. Gikalimtan sa publiko ang unod sa issue, nawagtang sa passing ang cause. We should also talk about the other issue, which is homosexuality,” Vidal defended.
Meanwhile, Bisdak Pride, an equality-seeking cause-oriented group through its provincial coordinator Roxan Doron said that their organization knew of gay and straight priests, and even monsignors, who don’t have anything against homosexuality.
Further, Doron cited verses from the Bible not condemning homosexuality.
He said respect is very basic in religious teachings, as well as common sense.
“Homosexuality cannot be regarded as punishable offense by rational persons who respect the mysterious laws of nature. Its presence in the sexual practices of all cultures everywhere and at all times, is proof that it deserves recognition as a natural human phenomenon as much as heterosexuality,” Doron said.
By condemning the act, the homosexual question has become a genuine question, one which has given rise to lively debate, and which will continue to be discussed until it has been resolved in a satisfactory way.
He said Bisdak Pride is no longer surprised to the statements of Dakay who is just an “inheritor of a feudal, bias, and homophobic Church.”
Finally, “Jan-Jan” is answerable to his God; which is truly private between an individual and his Creator. What he really needs now is respect, comfort and love like what the good Lord has taught, according to Bisdak Pride.
Meanwhile, officials of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center yesterday sought help from the National Bureau of Investigation in tracing as to who uploaded the said video on YouTube, a video-sharing network on the Web.
VSMMC chief, Dr. Gerardo Aquino said that they want experts to do an investigation on the true uploader of the video after hearing reports that it was not the doctor who did it.
Aquino said they are hoping that the NBI will have a trace on the matter to help solve the said issue as soon as possible. — Ferliza C. Contratista and Jasmin R. Uy/MEEV