My kind of Priests in Chile, they wont shut up about gay human rights

      

    

This is a background story posted a few months ago and it us the prologue of the story playing in Chile of three gay friendly priests that believe in human rights not just for the Vatican or the poor but for all human beings including gays. They have been giving the government and Vatican a tough time because they don’t shut off easily, as a matter of time no body can shut them up. I am Adam Gonzalez and I invite you to read this story and go down to the current story of today.

Media storm erupts following alleged accusations against ‘unruly’ Chilean priests for ‘radical’ stances on gay rights, abortion and universal education.

Chileans have rallied around three popular priests following allegations that leaders of the Chilean Catholic Church sent the Vatican a report demanding they be investigated. Photo via Flickr.

Chileans have rallied around three popular priests following allegations that leaders of the Chilean Catholic Church sent the Vatican a report demanding they be investigated for diverging from Catholic doctrine in their “radical” treatment of various social issues.

A Sunday report by La Tercera cast a spotlight on the Archbishop of Santiago, Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati, for supposedly sending a report to the Vatican last week accusing priests Mariano Puga, Felipe Berríos and José Aldunate of advocating same-sex partnerships, among other counter-doctrine measures. This comes at a critical time for the Catholic Church, which on Monday released a document challenging its community of worshipers to find a “fraternal space” for homosexuals and recognize positive aspects of same-sex couples.

Ezzati denied such a document was sent to the Vatican in a press release on Monday.

“The Archbishop of Santiago, Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati, has neither accused nor denounced the priests to the Holy See’s Congregation on Faith Doctrine. What the Archbishop has done is respond to a request by the Apostolic Nunciature in Chile to send it various declarations made by the three priests that have appeared in Chilean media,” the press release stated.

Puga also went on record saying that such allegations were false and that he was “in communication with Ezzati.”

Likewise, Aldunate refused to stoke the fire and told CNN Chile he thought the issue was insignificant and that the Vatican would not respond to the alleged document.

“I don’t think this is important. Things will fade away. There is nothing else to discuss,” Aldunate said.

Despite the priests’ unworried attitudes, various groups have leapt to their defense.

The Movement for Integration and Homosexual Freedom (Movilh) sent out a letter to the Vatican saying that the priests haven’t said anything that the Pope hasn’t already said and invited people to speak up too.

“We hope that many other organizations that value and appreciate Berríos, Aldunate and Puga’s work will send their own letters of support to the Vatican,” the organization stated in a press release.

The Secretary General of the Socialist Party (PS), Carola Rivero, confronted Ezzati telling him to “practice what he preaches” by being especial sensitivity to the poor and marginalized; something Puga, Berríos and Aldunate are well known for.

“José Aldunate, Felipe Berríos and Mariano Puga are admired and recognized by many Chileans, among them the poorest,” Rivero said.

Ezzati is well known for spearheading the Chilean Catholic Church’s most conservative faction. In the ongoing Synod of Bishops — an ecclesiastical council — Ezzati went on record saying that some of the Catholic Church’s greatest challenges today included honosexuality, divorce and children born out of wedlock. During last year’s Episcopal Conference in Chile, he also condemned abortion under all circumstances.

He has also been accused of turning a blind eye when a Catholic priest was convicted of molesting a child.

By Amanda Ruttlant
  The Santiago Times

A solidarity movement in support of three liberal Catholic priests has trended on social media in Chile this week.

It started with a message to the Pope that was meant to be private. On Sunday, the La Tercera newspaper reported that a Chilean archbishop and cardinal, Ricardo Ezzati, sent a secret complaint to the Vatican against three priests - Felipe Berríos, Mariano Puga and José Aldunate. All three are well-known in the country for regularly criticising the leaders of the Chilean Catholic Church, and for speaking out in favour of gay rights and abortion rights. The priests actions are being examined by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, according to reports. 

The word "Ezzati" started trending on Twitter on Sunday, when the newspaper report was published, and was used more than 10,000 times that day on the platform. Others got involved using Facebook. The majority of the social media comments seem to be from Chileans speaking in support of the three priests. "Ezzati defends the doctrine. His antagonists defend humanity", tweeted. "If Ezzati dares to complain about Berríos, Puga and Aldunate to the Vatican, sensible Catholics should complain about Ezzati," tweeted Pablo Simonetti, a novelist and prominent campaigner in the gay rights movement in Chile.

On Tuesday, a statement from the Archdioceses of Santiago tried to clarify the situation. Archbishop Ezzati didn't make a complaint to the Vatican, it said, but was simply responding to a request for more information. Regardless, supporters of the three priests created an online petitioncalling for "a transparent process", and demanding "open dialogue" with Church leaders.

Luis Larrain, head of Chilean gay rights campaign group Iguales, who had jokingly called for one of the priests to be appointed archbishop, spoke to BBC Trending. He says Arhcbishop Ezzati's intervention was "annoying, because we were trying to open channels for discussion with the Church". He fears that these events could undermine that dialogue, he says. Many have now called for a demonstration against Ezzati's decision in front of Santiago Cathedral today. Chile is a predominantly Catholic country, and is socially conservative - for example it forbids, and penalises, any kind of abortion. A 2011 study reported that 52% of Chileans supported same sex unions.

Reporting by Constanza Hola Chamy

BBC