Former priest: many clergy are gay, including worst homophobes
Sun. November 21, 2010 11:28 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
Cologne, Germany -
David Berger, a former German priest and former publisher of a Catholic magazine, says in his new book that the worst homophobes in the Catholic church are the ones who are trying to hide their homosexuality.
Berger's new book, "Der heilig Schein"(The Holy Illusion), will be published this week.
"The worst homophobia in the Catholic Church comes from homophile priests, who are desperately fighting their own sexuality," he told Der Spiegel. "Obviously, those who follow their urges are repudiated more fiercely when one is so painfully repressing that disposition oneself."
Berger worked at the Vatican and found his writings there constantly censored. At one point, he used the term "life partner" to describe a gay man's partner and found it replaced with the term "fornication partner."
Berger came out in April. He is in a long-term relationship and now works as a school teacher.
Berger's new book, "Der heilig Schein"(The Holy Illusion), will be published this week.
"The worst homophobia in the Catholic Church comes from homophile priests, who are desperately fighting their own sexuality," he told Der Spiegel. "Obviously, those who follow their urges are repudiated more fiercely when one is so painfully repressing that disposition oneself."
Berger worked at the Vatican and found his writings there constantly censored. At one point, he used the term "life partner" to describe a gay man's partner and found it replaced with the term "fornication partner."
Berger came out in April. He is in a long-term relationship and now works as a school teacher.