2024-04-05 14:15:33
Contrary to statements made in recent years by Pope Francis, a Catholic priest stated that homosexuality is “a sinful weakness” that must be combated like any other transgression of God’s law. The statement led to a threat of prosecution from a French government minister.
Father Matthieu Raffray, 45, published a video for his more than 60 thousand followers on Instagram confronting them to resist their sinful weaknesses, including homosexuality, among others:
“We all have weaknesses: those who are greedy, those who are angry, those who have homosexual tendencies!” said Raffray.
With the repercussion of the video, minister Aurore Bergé, 37 years old, head of the French government’s ministry of gender equality and diversity, published a statement classifying the priest’s statements as “unacceptable”.
Angrily, Aurore also confirmed that she was reporting the priest to the Interministerial Delegation for the Fight against Racism, Anti-Semitism and Anti-LGBT Hatred (DILCRAH) to be prosecuted under Article 40 of the French penal code: “I will not give up nothing in the face of hatred, whatever it may be”, wrote the minister on her X account.
DILCRAH is a French government body that works with several ministries to design, coordinate and manage actions to combat racism, anti-Semitism and anti-LGBT hate crimes.
On social media, the agency’s official account responded to the minister’s tweet stating that she had forwarded the complaint to the prosecutor, and added: “The so-called ‘conversion therapy’ has been illegal since 2022. Talking about homosexuality as a weakness is shameful.”
Undeterred, Father Raffray also used the X to say that his number of followers has surpassed the 20,000 mark thanks to “the hysterics of all stripes who try to destabilize me with grotesque controversies”, and added: “Friends or enemies: I pray for you”.
In the video that caused the controversy, the priest preached that everyone has the necessary spiritual weapons to combat such weaknesses, but that Satan tries to make them believe that the battle is “very difficult”, suggesting that they give up and give in to sin.
Father Raffray has a large audience among young French people, and he has not apologized or removed the video. In an interview with the press, he declared that his reflection addressed “temptations in general” and that his intention was not to highlight homosexuality, but rather “to make it clear that we are not obliged to give in to all our temptations, to all our desires”.
“I mention homosexuality, among other things. Homosexual acts are a sin, but I think people don’t know what a sin is anymore. Reporting a sin does not mean reporting the person who commits it! You could have blamed me if I had said something clumsy or offensive, but that is not the case here,” he defended.
“Not only am I not homophobic; Furthermore, as a priest, I am careful with the vocabulary I use on this subject because I know that the subject is delicate and that people can easily get hurt,” he added, according to information from the portal The Christian Post.
The priest assured that he will not be intimidated by the French government’s persecution: “What is at stake is not me, but the freedom to be a Christian today. I hope that all the faithful realize that it is Christian morality and the entire Church that are under attack.”
I just noticed that this account has just exceeded 20,000 followers!
Thank you all for your support.
Thanks also to the hysterics of all stripes who try to destabilize me with grotesque controversies: publicity guaranteed 👍🏻
Friends or enemies: I pray for you. pic.twitter.com/JH2c1GlJbj
— Abbé Matthieu Raffray ⚔️🙏🏻 (@AbbeRaffray) March 20, 2024
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