Gustaaf Cardinal Joos
Gustaaf, Cardinal Joos (July 5 1923 - November 2 2004) was a controversial Belgian cleric, who was elevated to the Roman Catholic College of Cardinals on 21 October 2003. He studied with Karol Woytyla before his election as Pope John Paul II. This personal friendship with the pope, rather than merit, was considered to be the reason behind his elevation to cardinal. Before his nomination, he was little known in Belgium as well as abroad. He was actually so little known in Belgium that media mistook him for another priest just after he was elevated to Cardinal. Cardinal Gustaaf Joos gained notoriety in January 2004, when in an interview to Belgian soft-porn P-Magazine, he said, about homosexuals:
"I am prepared to sign here in my blood that of all those who say they are lesbian or gay, at most five to 10 per cent are effectively lesbian or gay. All the rest are sexual pervertss. I demand you write this down. If they come to protest on my doorstep, I don't care. I'm just speaking out on what thousands of people are thinking but never get a chance to say. Real homosexuals don't wander in the streets in colourful suits. Those are people who have a serious problem and have to live with that. And if they err, they will be forgiven." about politics and universal suffrage: - "Politics, democracy. Don't make me laugh. The right to vote, what is that all about? I find it strange that a snot-nosed 18-year-old has the same vote as a father of seven. One has no responsibilities whatsoever, the other provides tomorrow's citizens. "
and about prostitution: - "If a man thinks he needs sex or is going to explode, it is better to find a prostitute than seduce or rape a girl. At least there are no innocent victims involved".
Joos also expressed admiration for Cyriel Verschaeve, a Belgian poet who was convicted as a Nazi collaborator for recruiting young men for the Eastern Front during the Second World War. This interview created embarrassment amongst the Roman Catholic Church and stir in the media, all the more since Gustaaf Joos refused to apologize for his comments. Godfried Cardinal Danneels distanced himself from Gustaaf Joos and the Belgian Centre for Equal Opportunities and Struggle against Racism threatened to sue him for violating an anti-discrimination law.
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