Pope gives hard word to bishop on eve of gay rally

From Peter Shard in Paris
A CONTROVERSIAL. French
bishop has been banned from taking part in the World Gay Pride rally in Rome on the orders of Pope John Paul II himself.
Bishop Jacques Gaillot had been due to take part in the
parade on Sunday and
participate in a conference on Monday on religion and homosexuality.
But he withdrew at the last minute and a spokeswoman
for the organisers of the
conference said: "Bishop Gaillot is very angry about this, but he will do what the Pope says." Bishop Gaillot himself told Agence France-Presse: "I received a telephone call from the chairman of the French bishops' conference informing me that the Pope had personally requested that take no part in the World Gay Pride celebrations.
"I will obey the Pope because f am a man of the Church, but I deeply regret this because it was a perfect occasion, this being the Jubilee year."
He said he felt his presence was important as it would have been a show of solidarity from the Church, which he feels should make a gesture to the gay community and ask their forgiveness for past wrongs.
`"Think of the men who died because they were homosexual, particularly those deported by the Nazis.
"We have to ask forgiveness. Homosexuals have the right to exist, to be recognised and, why shouldn't they be admitted to the religious ministry?" Bishop Gaillot asked.
"They invited themselves to the Jubilee to which they had not been asked and it was a good opportunity for us to make room for those who had been forgotten."
And he had some harsh words for the Catholic establishment: "Homosexuality is the most difficult question for the Church to discuss because it touches on our own attitudes to sexuality.
"It has become a taboo subject but it is one which must be considered."
Sacked by Pope John Paul
11 as Bishop of Evreux in 1995, Bishop Gaillot has been
a thorn in the side of the
French Church, taking on the nominal title of Bishop of Partenia, a north African diocese which was abolished in the fifth century. He continued his unconventional ministry through the internet.