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10 Antilliaans Dagblad Vrijdag 19 juli 2019
Opinie

LEZERS AAN HET WOORD
To Bishop reasons. With his compassiona- civil law, albeit maybe not
Mgr. Luis Secco te stance Pope Francis gave us through the marriage equality
the feeling that that era is en- that our people seek. And we
Diocese of Willemstad ding. But today in Curaçao we assume that you do know that a
Breedestraat, Otrobanda feel persecuted again by funda- contract of cohabitation at a
Willemstad, Curaçao mentalist churches who profess notary does not give that legal
openly and shamelessly that in protection at all, because it is
CC: His Holiness Pope Francis our LGBT community the devil only binding for the couple, and
Archdiocese of Port of Spain Arch- is at work. nobody else. We are appalled by
bishop Charles Jason Gordon, Also your silence in face of the the fact that just like the funda-
Dutch Kingdom Embassy Vatican homophobic atmosphere at that mentalist homophobic pastors
City meeting stood in great contrast who invited you, you called
Apostolic Nuntius of the Dutch to your predecessor the beloved upon the government and parli-
Kingdom Mgr. Cavalli, Diocese of Monsignor Wim Ellis (RIP), ament to follow the dictates of
Rotterdam who near the end of last century your churches, as if there was
Secretary Bishops Conference wrote nothing less than a pasto- no separation of church and
Catholic Church Netherlands ral letter which was read during state in our country. And that
mass in all Roman Catholic separation is the principle basis
Open letter churches of Curaçao calling of the religious freedom we
against homophobia and for the have in our country, by which
Topic: Hurt caused to the Cura- acceptance of LGBT people as our churches thrive. Again how
cao LGBT Community in Gene- We are hurt, grieved and appalled monsignor. We did not now nor part of Creation. The same far departed from the Statement
ral and its Roman Catholic mem- have ever felt any pastoral outreach of you to our community, nor Monsignor Ellis who publicly by the same late Monsignor
bers in particular by you. any attempt to explain the Church’s position and hear ours face to congratulated the LGBT com- Ellis, who said: ,,Everywhere
face. And yet you chose to join those who publicly declare us to be munity with the organization of where there is Love, God is
Monsignor, ‘abominations and servants of Satan’ on a stage, and in your words: the first Caribbean LGBT Con- present”, and who called on our
In joint representation of the ‘feel happy’ about that. FOTO’S ARCHIEF ference in Curaçao in 1998, a community to ‘keep on sowing
Curacao LGBT Community in conference which many of the roses in the desert’.
general and a large group of discriminatory, derogatory and intended or not, that you sup- pastors who you were so happy We are hurt, grieved and appal-
Roman Catholic members of outright hateful homophobic ported their homophobia and to join last Friday already back led Monsignor. We did not now
that community in particular, declarations were made, and rejection of our members, who then were denouncing as a nor have ever felt any pastoral
we express our profound hurt, where you even declared at the look to you as the messenger of work of the devil (obra di sata- outreach of you to our commu-
grief and incomprehension at onset of your own address that a loving and inclusive Universal nas). The same Monsignor nity, nor any attempt to explain
your participation at the Rally you were ‘happy’ to be there Spirit, not a Spirit of hate. Many Wim Ellis who on public radio the Church’s position and hear
against the Marriage Equality among that particular crowd. of our people feel painfully in 1996 recognized the legiti- ours face to face. And yet you
Bill last Friday July 12th at the Our Christian lesbian, gay, wounded by the lack of empat- macy of the rights of LGBT chose to join those who publicly
Alameda in Punda (downtown bisexual and transsexual mem- hy in your words and the plain people for their relationships declare us to be ‘abominations
Willemstad). Let it be clear that bers would have expected at hate in the words of those who and families to be protected by and servants of Satan’ on a
the hurt as expressed by our least some kind of outreach of invited you and whom you civil law. The kind of protection stage, and in your words: ‘feel
Roman Catholic members and you as a moral leader of the seemed to support by your we now seek through civil (se- happy’ about that. That really
members of other Christian Curaçao Community to them, presence at the event. cular) marriage equality, Mon- hurts. Still we are convinced
denominations has only, to a where you would have stressed Monsignor, what we lacked in signor, because there is no that the impression that was
lesser extent, to do with the the inclusivity and acceptance of your presentation was the pasto- other legal institution providing created cannot be intentional.
official position of the Roman the church to our community, ral empathy of a Pope Francis, that protection in our Civil Not from the principal pastor of
catholic Church on the matter, independent of its stance on who has repeatedly given our Code. Curaçao’s principal church.
which is very well known to us. marriage. Especially to that community the feeling that we As we said Monsignor, we are Therefor sincerely we want
Yet, we are particularly hurt by crowd and its leaders, whose are part of Creation, and that aware of the official Roman to extend to you a heartfelt
the fact that you as principal expressions were far from inclu- the Catholic Church does not Catholic stance on marriage invitation to join us at Alameda
pastor of our many Roman sive, far from accepting and at judge us because of it. Not any- equality. But it grieves us that in in the last week of September,
Catholic members, chose to times outright hateful. Monsig- more that is, after centuries of your presentation at no mo- when a crowd of the same
participate in a gathering of nor you didn’t. You said you persecutions shaming, torture ment you recognized the legiti- size will come together to cele-
mainly fundamentalist evangeli- were ‘happy’ to be among them, and murder of LGBT people macy of any protection of our brate Curaçao Pride, as a rein-
cal churches, where extremely with which you suggested, around the world for religious relationships and families by vindication by the LGBT com-
munity of their self-esteem
and self-worth as worthy chil-
dren of the Universal Creator
Spirit. We want to invite you to
join us in meditation and pray-
er. We want to invite you as
brother and pastor in an
atmosphere without politicizati-
on and polarization, to bless
our people to help cure our
community’s wounds, which
date back for many, many cen-
turies. We count on you Mon-
signor.
Yours Sincerely,
The LGBT Community Curacao
in general and its Roman Catho-
lic members in particular,
Represented by Igualdat Kòrsou
and Foko
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Sincerely we want to extend to you a heartfelt invitation to join us at Alameda in the last week of September, when a crowd of the same size E-mail: redactie@antilliaansdagblad.com
will come together to celebrate Curaçao Pride.