ELECTION OF POPE BENEDICT XVI PORTENDS FURTHER CONFLICT BETWEEN CHURCH

________________________________

NEWS from the Human Rights Campaign
1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20036-3278
E-mail: hrc [at] hrc.org
http://www.hrc.org
_________________________________

For Immediate Release
Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Contact: Steven Fisher
Phone: (202) 216-1547
Cell: (202) 431-7608

Contact: Mark Shields
Phone: (202) 216-1564
Cell: (202) 716-1637


ELECTION OF POPE BENEDICT XVI PORTENDS FURTHER CONFLICT BETWEEN CHURCH
AND GLBT COMMUNITY

"We hope that Pope Benedict XVI will follow the biblical tradition of
expressing love and compassion for all," said HRC president Joe
Solmonese.

WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign pointed to years of statements
by
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the newly elected pope, in expressing
concern
about the Catholic Church's future treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgender people.

"We hope that Pope Benedict XVI will follow the biblical tradition of
expressing love and compassion for all," said HRC President Joe
Solmonese. "In the past, he has made deeply disturbing comments
regarding gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people so his
selection
as the 265th pope is distressing. It's imperative that there be a
positive conversation with the Catholic Church about GLBT people of
faith and we welcome that discourse."

"The selection of a new pope is a time of hope and anticipation," said
John Mattras, member of St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church in
Manhattan and President of the Scriptorium. "While we welcome the
opportunity for open dialogue with the new pope and church leaders,
we're deeply concerned by a pattern of homophobic and uninformed
statements and opinions relayed by Pope Benedict XVI that fall wholly
outside modern western norms."

In 1986 as Cardinal, Joseph Ratzinger delivered a Letter to the Bishops
of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons. He
said, "Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is
not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an
intrinsic moral evil."

The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith website, directed
by Cardinal Ratzinger, includes the following statement: "Those who
would move from tolerance to the legitimization of specific rights for
cohabiting homosexual persons need to be reminded that the approval or
legalization of evil is something far different from the toleration of
evil."

The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian, gay,
bisexual
and transgender political organization with members throughout the
country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and
educates the public to ensure that LGBT Americans can be open, honest
and safe at home, at work and in the community.

-30-

Subscribe/Unsubscribe to HRC News list:

The news release list is available for persons who would like to
receive
HRC new releases on GLBT-related issues. The releases can come as
frequently as several a week. You are receiving this email because you
have requested to be placed on our distribution list. If you believe
you
are receiving this email in error and are unable to unsubscribe as
detailed at the end of this message, chances are you have been
forwarded
this email by a third party.

Subscribe:

If you would like to join HRC News, send an email to
listserv [at] lists.hrc.org with the request "subscribe hrc-news" in the
body
of the message. You will be added to the HRC News listserv.

Unsubscribe:

To remove yourself from the HRC News list, send an email to
listserv [at] lists.hrc.org with the request "unsubscribe hrc-news" in the
body of the message. DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. If this method does
not
work, please forward this e-mail to membership [at] hrc.org with a request
for removal.