Church bows to gays seeking communion

5 March 2010
By RNW

Homosexuals can now attend communion in all parishes in the diocese of Den Bosch.

This is the outcome of a meeting between the church council of the main Roman Catholic church in the Netherlands, St. John’s Cathedral in Den Bosch, priest Geertjan Van Rossum, Vera Bergkamp of the gay organisation COC and editor-in-chief of the gay peridocial Gaykrant.

"People should decide for themselves whether or not to attend communion whatever their sexuality and should do so with a clean conscience," said a spokesperson for the diocese.
The openly gay Prince of the Carnival who was recently refused communion in the provincial town of Reusel therefore should have received it. The church's refusal to give him communion sparked protests at Roman Catholic church services up and down the Netherlands on Sunday.

During the protest, gay rights demonstrators dressed in pink and wearing wigs of the same colour walked out of the service at St. John’s after priest Geertjan van Rossum said "the correct experience of sexuality is part of the ten commandments". the rest