{"id":594,"date":"2012-07-20T18:34:00","date_gmt":"2012-07-20T18:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/lawsuit-against-spanish-bishop-who-criticized-gay-lifestyle-dismissed\/"},"modified":"2012-07-20T18:34:00","modified_gmt":"2012-07-20T18:34:00","slug":"lawsuit-dropped-against-spanish-bishop-who-criticized-gay-lifestyle-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/07\/lawsuit-dropped-against-spanish-bishop-who-criticized-gay-lifestyle-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawsuit dropped against Spanish bishop who criticized gay lifestyle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Madrid, Spain, Jul 20, 2012 \/ 12:34 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- A judge in the Spanish city of Alcala de Henares has dismissed a lawsuit against Bishop Juan Antonio Reig Pla over his criticism of the gay lifestyle, saying his comments do not incite hatred or violence against homosexual persons and inflict no harm.<\/p>\n

\tAccording to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, Judge Antonio Cervera Pelaez-Campomanes dismissed the lawsuit against the Bishop of Alcala de Henares on July 10 and notified the parties of his ruling on July 19. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWhile the bishop\u2019s words indicate a critical view of homosexuality, they do not, properly understood, inflict harm on homosexuals in general nor are they are a call to discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\tBishop Reig Pla has faced intense criticism after remarks given in a Good Friday sermon in April in which he condemned sexual practices he believes to be harmful. As part of a larger cultural critique of sexual behavior in modern society, he lamented how some with same-sex attraction \u201ccorrupt and prostitute themselves or go to gay night clubs\u201d in order to \u201cvalidate\u201d their struggle.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI assure you what they encounter is pure hell,\u201d he said on April 6.<\/p>\n

\tGay advocacy organizations joined forces with left-leaning political parties in Spain to file a lawsuit against the bishop and demand that he be expelled from the city. The People\u2019s Party spoke out against the bishop\u2019s critics.<\/p>\n

\tIn his ruling, Judge Pelaez-Campomanes said Bishop Reig Pla\u2019s homily focused on sin and the suffering that it causes, and referenced not only homosexual conduct but also marital infidelity, abortion, unjust wages, disloyality and sexual favors in the workplace, alcohol and priests who live a double life.<\/p>\n

\tThe judge also pointed to an interview with Bishop Reig Pla published online, which the gay community said bolstered their charges, and said there was nothing criminal in his comments.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWhile it is undeniable that the interview reveals a critical position towards homosexuality, in which it is described as a disordered inclination, it does not equate in the strict sense to either the inciting of hatred or the inflicting of harm,\u201d the judge wrote.<\/p>\n

\tBecause Bishop Reig Pla alluded to Church doctrine in his comments, they are protected by religious freedom, he added.<\/p>\n

\tIn the wake of the attacks on Bishop Reig Pla, Catholic groups across the country rallied to his defense, and the Bishops\u2019 Conference of Spain called the persecution against him \u201cunjust.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Madrid, Spain, Jul 20, 2012 \/ 12:34 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- A judge in the Spanish city of Alcala de Henares has dismissed a lawsuit against Bishop Juan Antonio Reig Pla over his criticism of the gay lifestyle, saying his comments do not incite hatred or …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-europe","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nLawsuit dropped against Spanish bishop who criticized gay lifestyle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Madrid, Spain, Jul 20, 2012 \/ 12:34 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- A judge in the Spanish city of Alcala de Henares has dismissed a lawsuit against Bishop Juan Antonio Reig Pla over his criticism of the gay lifestyle, saying his comments do not incite hatred or ...\" \/>\n<meta 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