The Pope’s speech to the members of the Roman Curia on December 21 brought with it accusations that the Pope is a homophobe. It is not the first time that he had been so accused; in my opinion, mistakenly.
It is said that the word homophobe was coined by George Weinberg, a psychologist, in the 1960s. It describes a person who fears or hates homosexuals and homosexuality. It includes an attitude of contempt for homosexuals and is evidenced in hostile behaviour such as discrimination and violence. Some say that homophobes are closet gays.
The attribution of the above to Pope Benedict is totally amiss. One of the subjects addressed by the Pope in the above mentioned speech was the family. During this part of the speech he made a philosophical argument, based on a study by the Chief Rabbi of France, Gilles Berheim, in favour of the concept of family made up of father, mother and child. Among other things he strongly criticised the theory that describes gender as a cultural construct and not a natural one. Benedict also outlines some of the negative consequences, which in his opinion, would naturally flow that that position. His words apply to all adherents to this theory...
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