GALHA's views on the current pope

Here's something I found about Pope Benedict XVI under 'Fact Files' on RainbowNetwork.com. This is a very good gay website which has frequently reported GALHA's views.

What do gay people think of him? Although some gay and lesbian advocates are hopeful that Pope Benedict XVI's leadership will mark a change, others have expressed their disappointment over his election.

The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association issued a statement which summed up many gay people's feelings about Ratzinger's appointment. It read:

"This is extremely bad news for the lesbian and gay community worldwide which has been under sustained and vicious attack from the Vatican throughout Pope John Paul II's pontificate. No self-respecting, rational-thinking gay person can be expected to mourn his passing or be at all optimistic that his successor will take a more sympathetic approach. The appointment of the rabid reactionary Ratzinger bears this out.

"Ratzinger, who is renowned for his zeal in enforcing doctrinal orthodoxy, will prove to be even more homophobic than his predecessor. The Vatican's defamatory statements about homosexuality and its endless agitation against the rights of gay people, including civil partnership legislation, will be renewed and toughened under this new Pope."