Civil society activist and former Singapore Democratic Party parliamentary candidate Dr. Vincent Wijeysingha spoke out on June 23 against the Catholic Church’s stance on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, disclosing the “unfortunate contact” he had with a priest as a teenager.
This followed a statement released by Archbishop William Goh, which reinforced the Church’s view that LGBT relationships are "not in accordance with the plan of God". The statement was read at 30 Catholic churches around Singapore this past weekend.
In a Facebook note, Dr. Wijeysingha described the “hideous record” of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and shared his first-hand experience of it publicly for the first time.
“When I was fifteen, I came into unfortunate contact with a priest who would engage me in play wrestling and attempt to touch my crotch in the process,” he wrote. “He once brought me to his bedroom and took a stack of pornographic magazines from his wardrobe to show me.”
With the Church’s failure to adequately punish offenders in its ranks, Dr. Wijeysingha believes that it “has no authority whatsoever, moral or otherwise, to comment on whom I can and cannot love” and that “the Catholic leadership has remained silent on the real problems that face our world”.
His criticism has drawn a response from the Catholic Church, which via TODAY, maintained that “whilst every individual, regardless of his imperfections, is to be treated with love, compassion and respect, (the Church does) not condone any act that is contrary to God’s commandments as taught in scripture and by the teaching authority of the Church”.
While the Archdiocese Communications Office did not directly address Dr. Wijeysingha's allegation against the priest, it did write in a response to the Singapore newspaper: “The intent of our message is to clarify to the Catholic Faithful its position with regard to the family from the perspective of faith in Christ and His Church, and not to engage in a debate on the issue of LGBT purely on the level of reason, because faith while not opposed to reason, transcends reason.”
This exchange comes after the launch of the Wear White campaign, a movement supported by several religious groups that opposes the LGBT “lifestyle” and the annual Pink Dot event held in support of the community.
Photo: Dr. Vincent Wijeysingha's Facebook
Read Also: Singapore ministers speak up on latest furore over LGBT lifestyle; MUIS urges Singapore mosques not to get involved in Pink Dot-Wear White crossfire
Civil society activist and former Singapore Democratic Party parliamentary candidate Dr. Vincent Wijeysingha spoke out on June 23 against the Catholic Church’s stance on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, disclosing the “unfortunate contact” he had with a priest as a teenager.
This followed a statement released by Archbishop William Goh, which reinforced the Church’s view that LGBT relationships are "not in accordance with the plan of God". The statement was read at 30 Catholic churches around Singapore this past weekend.
In a Facebook note, Dr. Wijeysingha described the “hideous record” of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and shared his first-hand experience of it publicly for the first time.
“When I was fifteen, I came into unfortunate contact with a priest who would engage me in play wrestling and attempt to touch my crotch in the process,” he wrote. “He once brought me to his bedroom and took a stack of pornographic magazines from his wardrobe to show me.”
With the Church’s failure to adequately punish offenders in its ranks, Dr. Wijeysingha believes that it “has no authority whatsoever, moral or otherwise, to comment on whom I can and cannot love” and that “the Catholic leadership has remained silent on the real problems that face our world”.
His criticism has drawn a response from the Catholic Church, which via TODAY, maintained that “whilst every individual, regardless of his imperfections, is to be treated with love, compassion and respect, (the Church does) not condone any act that is contrary to God’s commandments as taught in scripture and by the teaching authority of the Church”.
While the Archdiocese Communications Office did not directly address Dr. Wijeysingha's allegation against the priest, it did write in a response to the Singapore newspaper: “The intent of our message is to clarify to the Catholic Faithful its position with regard to the family from the perspective of faith in Christ and His Church, and not to engage in a debate on the issue of LGBT purely on the level of reason, because faith while not opposed to reason, transcends reason.”
This exchange comes after the launch of the Wear White campaign, a movement supported by several religious groups that opposes the LGBT “lifestyle” and the annual Pink Dot event held in support of the community.
Photo: Dr. Vincent Wijeysingha's Facebook
Read Also: Singapore ministers speak up on latest furore over LGBT lifestyle; MUIS urges Singapore mosques not to get involved in Pink Dot-Wear White crossfire