Former President Criticises Catholic Church For View On Homosexuality

The Catholic Church is becoming increasingly isolated in its view on homosexuality, former President Mary McAleese has said.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio, Mrs McAleese said she was concerned at the growing number of young men, and in particular young gay men, who take their own lives in Ireland.

She said that when the research is broken down, it shows that young gay men are one of the most at-risk groups in Ireland.

Mrs McAleese said many of these young men will have gone to Catholic schools and they will have heard their church's attitude to homosexuality.

"They will have heard words like disorder, they may even have heard the word evil used in relation to homosexual practice," she said.

"And when they make the discovery, and it is a discovery and not a decision, when they make the discovery, that they are gay, when they are 14, 15 or 16, an internal conflict of absolutely appalling proportions opens up".

(H)