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Prominent Canadian Priest Claims He's 'Gay', Blasts Vatican on Canadian National Radio

By John-Henry Westen

TORONTO, December 5, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Rev. Richard Reshaw, C.S.C., former Assistant Secretary General of the Canadian Religious Conference (1994-2002), exposed himself as a homosexual and supportive of the 'gay culture' on CBC radio on Sunday.  Renshaw made the revelations on CBC's The Sunday Edition hosted by anti-Catholic host Michael Enright who is known for his unrepentant 'joke' referencing the Catholic Church as "the greatest criminal organization outside of the Mafia."

Canadian Catholics who have wondered at the constant unorthodox stands of the Bishops' official development arm - the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP) - will not be surprised to learn that Fr. Renshaw served as Deputy Executive Director at CCODP from November 2002 till he became the Interim Executive Director there in May last year - a post he held till this spring.

The latest Vatican document restating the Church's position against the ordination of men who "are actively homosexual, have deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called gay culture" was apparently too much for Renshaw who not only revealed himself as "gay" on the program, but also admitted to preaching in favour of the 'gay culture'. (see coverage on new Vatican document http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/nov/05112903.html ) Referring to the new document, Renshaw said, "There is a way in which this touches me very directly."  He continued, "I clearly supported gay causes for quite some time . . . There's no way I can deny I've done that very publicly . . .  I've spoken at gay pride, preached in churches about gay pride, I support the issues."

Renshaw, one of the founders of KAIROS, the Canadian ecumenical coalition on social justice and international solidarity, slammed the official Church teaching that homosexuality is an "objective disorder".  This teaching, he said, and the new Vatican directive, are examples of "how the church humiliates and shames people."  He also noted that his theological formation, which he said he received in Rome, "has never been of the slightest use to me".

"I feel there's some kind of a phobia in church leadership at the highest level," said Renshaw.  Enright pressed him to say "homophobia" and that it was "at the highest level, the Holy Father himself?" but after a pause, Renshaw merely responded, "at the highest levels."

Living in Montreal, Renshaw oddly says that although he is not permitted to say Mass publicly and hear confessions, he is nonetheless "not censured, not suspended, I'm a religious in good standing."

Renshaw said that in his 40 years of hearing confessions he didn't think anyone had told him a sin.  In the interview he also questioned if homosexuality itself was sinful.

Exposing his bias, Enright said with fervour, "You're doing what I take it the founding father of the Christian religion said you should do . . . What the hell difference does it make, your sexual orientation?!"

Renshaw is the second Canadian Catholic priest in recent months to expose his homosexuality in the broadcast media.  LifeSiteNews.com reported that in October, Vision TV, a television network heavily supported by Canada's National Catholic Broadcasting Corporation, featured a Catholic priest. Fr. Karl Clemens, who claimed to be the first in the country to "come out" as homosexual on television. (see the coverage: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/oct/05102402.html )

Hear the audio of the CBC interview with Fr. Renshaw:
http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/media/renshaw_se051204.ra...

To express concerns to CBC ombudsman:
E-mail:
ombudsman@cbc.ca

Mail:
Office of the Ombudsman
CBC
P.O. Box 500, Station A
Toronto, Ontario M5W 1E6
Fax: 416/205-2825
Tel.: 416/205-2978

To Montreal Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte
-phone (514)931-7311; fax (514) 931-3432  email: chancellerie@diocesemontreal.org

See also
Vatican 'Gay' Priest Ban Forcing Dissidents Out of the Closet
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/nov/05112307.html

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