Priest cancels LGBTI Christmas service because homosexuality is ‘sinful’

A priest in Hong Kong cancelled a special Christmas Eve midnight service for a Catholic LGBTI group because a local diocese told him about the ‘sinfulness of homosexuality’.

Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha was supposed to hold the event for the Compassion HK LGBTQ Catholics Union.

Compassion is a coalition of various Catholic LGBTI organizations  and groups in Hong Kong.

It wrote on Facebook that only minutes before the midnight service, Ha informed them it was cancelled.

According to Compassion Ha was contacted by the Bishop of Hong Kong, Michael Yeung, after he found out about the special midnight service. Yeung allegedly told Ha the service should be stopped in the days leading up to Christmas.

‘Friends who have come to attend midnight mass… were shocked when the priest told them the service was cancelled,’ Compassion wrote on Facebook.

About 30 people had turned up to attend the service including LGBTI people, their allies and, friends and family.

Compassion condemned the decision and said it went against the teaching of Pope Francis.’People are baffled by the fact that the diocese will even send priests to prison for murderers, rapists, offenders,’ the group wrote.

‘Why did the bishops only target (LGBTI) comrades? Is it true that a comrade is not worthy to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ for a year of peace?

‘And in other countries, when a Bishop is willing to give a mass to the members of the gay community, why is it that the two bishops of Hong Kong, are not willing to open mass for their followers on the basis of their sexuality.

‘This is not exactly what is taught by Pope Francis : “if a man is gay, he seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge (who am I to judge)?”.’

The group finally held a small private ceremony where they ‘delivered the birthday cake for baby Jesus’. Compassion said at the ceremony many people were brought to tears celebrating Christmas.

Diocese denials

A spokesperson for the Hong Kong diocese said Bishop Michael Yeung never ordered for the service to be cancelled.

The spokesperson told the Hong Kong Free Press that the Bishop simply asked Ha to review the service.

‘Bishop Ha communicated with the relevant persons, and pointed out that the Catholic Church considers homosexual acts as serious violations of chastity,’ the spokesperson told HKFP.

‘If the relevant persons wish to receive the Holy Communion during mass, they must be sufficiently prepared, for example: They must have committed no serious sins (or must first conduct the rite of confession), must faithfully repent for any minor sins, and must fast for the previous hour before receiving the Holy Communion.’

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