Vatican Accused of Sending Gay Priests for "Ex-Gay Cure"

While Pope Francis and the endless number of bitter old closeted men at the Vatican continue to malign gays and blather about God's plan for male-female relationships during the Church's synod on the family, the Roman Catholic Church remains incapable of avoiding one gay related bombshell after another.  On top of yesterday's story of the summary firings of two gay priests, now a story has broken about the Vatican sending gay priests to a monastery to  subject them to voodoo like "ex-gay" cures.   Never mind that all reputable - i.e., all non-Christofascist - medical and mental health associations condemn so-called conversion therapy.  In light of the 300 years it took the Church to admit that it erred in condemning Galileo, this latest embrace of ignorance and bigotry is all too par for the course.  Christianity Today looks at this new issue plaguing the Vatican and underscoring its anti-knowledge mindset.  Here are highlights:

The Vatican has been sending gay priests to a monastery to "cure" them of homosexuality, a former clergyman has alleged.

Mario Bonfanti says he was asked to go to the Venturini monastery in Trento, northern Italy, after it was discovered he was gay. Despite having maintained his vow of celibacy, the priest was dismissed from his parish in Sardinia three years ago when he refused.

Following Bonfanti's allegations, the head of Venturini, Father Gianluigi Pasto, told Italian reporters: "I can only say that here we help the priests become healthy".

The Independent reports that Fr Pasto denied the monastery is specifically for gay and paedophile priests in an interview La Repubblica, but did not deny that they may have come in the past. "Priests come to us for a period of formation and personal reflection," he said.

The allegations come in a week that the world's eyes are on Rome, as Pope Francis hosts the Synod on the Family with a particular focus on marriage and homosexuality.

During the opening Mass on Sunday, the pope reaffirmed Catholic opposition to gay marriage, but called for the Church to be welcoming and compassionate towards all people, regardless of their sexuality.

Ahead of the Synod, however, the Vatican dismissed a priest from his position in the Holy See after he came out as gay in an interview with Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper.

As I have noted many times, what should a gay Catholic do?  Walk - no run - from the Church and get their family members and friends to follow suit.  Given the countless times throughout history where the Church has been dead wrong - e.g., supporting slavery, rejecting science and condemning  scientists and the intellectually curious, one has to wonder why anyone with a brain listens to the garbage being uttered by the Church hierarchy and the members of the closeted priesthood.