The Diocese of Segovia defends that homosexuals do not take communion in their province – as two couples denounced this weekend – because they do not meet “objective conditions of morality.” In a statement, the Diocese of Segovia – which is still headed by Bishop César Franco – assures that the priest “has been forced” to deny communion to people of the same sex “who live according to the matrimonial mode”, as “can happen” with heterosexual couples who live together without being married.
“This is not homophobia or discrimination, given that communion is not denied because of the homosexual condition, but rather to defend the sacred nature of the Eucharist,” maintains the Diocese of Segovia, which assures that the church defends treating “with respect for their condition.” ” to homosexuals and that they are members of the Church, but that “does not mean that they can access the Eucharist without respecting the norms of law that apply to all the faithful.”
In response to the requests of the Socialist Party – which it sees as “inadmissible interference” and “an attack against religious freedom” – the Diocese asks the PSOE to retract the accusations of discrimination “without precise knowledge of the facts and with ideological motivations.” ”.
“Catholics know that to receive the Eucharist, whether they are homosexual or heterosexual, objective conditions of morality are necessary, and that the Church has the authority to deny communion when they are not met, especially if it causes scandal among the faithful as has been done.” happened in the Segovia cases,” the statement states. The Diocese, which Jesús Vidal Chamorro will lead starting January 18, quotes Pope Francis when he said that blessing homosexual couples should be avoided if it causes “serious forms of scandal or confusion among the faithful.”
“To say that the Segovian Church is homophobic for protecting the sacred character of the Eucharist is an unacceptable judgment,” maintains the Diocese, which ensures that denying communion does not mean excluding these people from ecclesial life or participation in worship. “The Church encourages those who for various reasons cannot access communion to continue participating in the life of the community,” the statement notes.
This weekend the mayor of Torrecaballeros, Rubén García de Andrés, reported that he and another homosexual couple who lived together had been denied communion and described this decision as “homophobic.” The PSOE showed its support for these couples and asked the new bishop to “take this situation of discrimination carefully” when he arrives in Segovia and to “not allow hatred to spread due to the sexual condition of some parishioners.” From the Popular Party, and so far, only the president of the Segovia Provincial Council (PP), Miguel Ángel de Vicente, has defended the LGBT community.
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