LGBT+ Christians should speak out against the Pope's outburst about gay children

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Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, told an Italian publication that taking children to see a medical professional could solve their same-sex attraction issues. The irony is that this is the leader of a church that has now beyond any reasonable doubt covered up the systematic abuse of children throughout Catholic institutions in both Ireland and USA.

When will the Roman Catholic Church wake up to the fact that expecting priests to live suppressing their natural feelings and preaching guilt and self-hate is the real problem?

Instead of disciplining and expelling priests guilty of abuse, the Roman Catholic Church merely moved them around different parishes.

Seeking to divert attention from the crimes of his clergy by attacking young gay and lesbian people is beyond contempt and utterly lacking in humility or compassion.

There will be many gay Christians deeply offended by the Pope’s outburst and it is time for us to speak out.

Cllr Steve Radford, president of the Liberal Party
Tuebrook, Liverpool

Sean O’Grady in “Allegations that the Pope knew about abuse within the Church are no surprise – here’s what the Vatican must to do atone” makes the case for stronger treatment of the symptoms of clerical abuse. Would reforming – ie abandoning – the dogma of priestly celibacy be a significantly more positive reform in potentially avoiding the problems in the first place?

Roger Thomas
Aberlady, East Lothian

The Happy List

Thank you so very much for the Happy List. We read about and hear about the rotters in this world; it does us all good (well it certainly did me good) to read about so many inspirational people, and, from personal experience, I know there are lots more.

My thanks to them all.

Carol Roberts
Address Supplied

Venezuela’s economy

The saying “not worth the paper it’s printed on” takes a new and sad low point with the Venezuelan Bolivar. The recent photos in many papers of a roll of toilet paper costing over 2.5 million Bolivar, a pile of paper far larger than the toilet roll, reinforces the farcical situation.

The political solution of simply removing a few zeros from the notes’ denomination is a zero value, or actually a negative answer. It simply destroys any savings, salaries and stored values.

The UN needs to look at how to manage a number of these countries as they lead to very depressed economies and people.

These people have a right to be able to work, save and live a reasonable life. Admittedly, they have many other, probably more serious, problems to solve, but stability in the world’s economies will reduce conflicts. Return value to people’s work and lives.

Dennis Fitzgerald
Melbourne, Australia

The far right is the enemy, not Jeremy Corbyn

I hope those busy smearing the principled, lifelong anti-racist Jeremy Corbyn with the false charge of antisemitism were watching what was happening in the east German city of Chemnitz over the weekend.

A far-right mob of 5,000 there used the excuse of a street crime to take to the streets and attack anyone who looked like an immigrant. Racists chased minorities through the streets. A totally innocent Afghani, Syrian and Bulgarian were attacked by xenophobes wielding broken bottles. Many of these racists were open Nazis who felt free to throw Hitler salutes in a country where such gestures are illegal.

There is a very real existential threat to all of Europe’s minorities – and it is growing – but you won’t find it in the ranks of the Labour Party. Those throwing around false charges of antisemitism to settle short term political fights must stop.

We will need maximum unity to push the resurgent Nazi movement back into the gutter where it belongs.

Sasha Simic
Address supplied

How do you solve a problem like Brexit?

“Supporters of a Final Say on Brexit should not attack Corbyn – they need him” is true. Moreover, we should be offering him paths out of the paradox he faces. If Labour joined the Liberal Democrats and Greens in being wholeheartedly in the “stop Brexit” camp, the entire country would be up to its neck in Tory anxiety. How then to square the circle?

DiEM25 is a hugely attractive option and deserves very close examination. Its themes chime closely with left-inclined social and economic ambitions, and it has the advantage of being a pan-European initiative.

An influential figure in the Labour hierarchy must take Jeremy Corbyn aside for a meaningful contemplation of the size of the majority he wishes to command after the next election.

Steve Ford
Haydon Bridge

So, our prime minister, whose principal priority is evidently appeasing the lunatic fringe of her own party, is now endeavouring to reassure the nation by claiming that a no-deal Brexit outcome “wouldn’t be the end of the world” – well, it’s good to see that she’s setting herself such a high bar.

If May gets a spare moment, perhaps she might care to reacquaint herself with the duties of her office: her job is supposed to be ensuring the continued peace and prosperity of our nation – the end of the world is Donald Trump’s territory.

Julian Self
Wolverton, Milton Keynes