Socialist Youth and Catholic Students at war

The Antwerp Young Socialists react angrily to the statements of the Antwerp branch of the KVHV about Johan Bonny.

The Catholic Flemish Student Alliance in a press release attacked the Antwerp Bishop, Johan Bonny. He advocated in "De Morgen" recognition of gay marriage by the Catholic Church. 

According to the KVHV, Bonny wants the church no longer to designate sexuality outside marriage as sinful.

According to the Antwerp Young Socialists, the view of KVHV is downright creepy. 'Back to the years quietly, where sexuality was not discussed and gays best remained in the closet. This is unworthy of a modern, inclusive and welcoming society unworthy. We did not know that the H is KVHV stood for 'homophobic,' 'says the Antwerp Young Socialists. 

The youth wing of the Socialist Party finds the judgments of the KVHV discriminatory and unacceptable and has filed a complaint with the Interfederal Equal Opportunity Centre. "The statements suggest that homosexuality and gay marriage are sinful. For us, it is beyond the bounds of what is acceptable. If this is the so-called Flemish elite, we are deeply concerned about the future. "

 Also on Twitter, several politicians have expressed their disgust. 

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Catholic students blast bishop for being not Catholic

Press release from Flemish Catholic Student Association of Antwerp

KVHV Antwerp: "Your
Excellency, what you are proposing is not Catholic!"

The Bishop of Antwerp, Mgr. Johan Bonny, has once again been reported in the media by openly stand up for the Church to recognize and bless relationships between homosexuals.  It is not the first time. The Antwerp prelate several years ago, in 2012,was enthusiastic about a play that was staged at De Singel, entitled 'On the Concept of the Face, Regarding the Son of God. "Although this play by Romeo Castelucci took the form of a blasphemous attack on Jesus Christ, Mgr. Bonny saw the cultural value of it.

With his call to offer
homosexual relationships within the Roman Catholic Church a position within the structure, Mgr. Bonny crosses a new frontier. Not this time of decency, but of faith and morals. First, he creates the image that homosexuals should have no place in the Catholic Church. This is manifestly incorrect. Every human being is created by God to join Catholic Church. This Church has its rules, structures and traditions, which are the same for everyone, and contrary to what one suspects, still very well known. Sexual orientation is by no means a criterion that prevents someone being a Catholic. The Church, the only way to salvation in the afterlife, is open to any person, whatever their background, their talents and their problems. This is also the case for homosexuals - as if that had to be said. Everyone is welcome.

But the rules of morality apply universally to every Catholic, at any place and any time. Marriage, a sacrament instituted by Christ, is open to one man and one woman and is entered into voluntarily. It stops at the death of one of the marriage partners. Sexual experience is desired by God in marriage. In this way, the goal of sexuality is human reproduction, raising a family. For the Church, this is not possible outside of marriage. As to commit errors is all too human, so God also provides the sacrament of confession and so every time begins a new chapter in the spiritual  life of every Catholic. In that sense there is no difference between unmarried cohabiting heterosexual and gay couples. The difficulty is only that the Church  cannot allow to have two people of the same sex to marry because the purpose of sexuality is not possible. This is also how Archbishop Léonard has stated the view of the Church on homosexuality in the “duo” interview with Etienne  Vermeersch on VRT.

Here the Archbishop preaches at a Latin Mass- a most excellent man, who the Pope has yet to give a Cardinal's hat.  Bonny is expected to be his successor.


Interview continues.

What is being asked here, is not a place for homosexuals in the Church. They have a place already. What Msgr. Bonny wants is not to allow new players in the game (because everyone is already authorized), but to change the game itself subtly. He seems to want to  promote sexuality outside the sacrament of marriage as not sinful. This means that everyone, both homosexuals and divorced people, may experience sexual relationships outside of marriage without being labelled as sinful by the Church.

Mgr. Bonny, successor of the Apostles, wants to change the Faith in a veiled way. The Flemish Catholic Student  Association of Antwerp also clearly raises its voice and says: no Monsignor, what you are proposing is not Catholic.

Bishop demands church recognition of homosexual relationships

And now the deluge!

Bonny with two stealth priestesses

The Bishop of Antwerp, Johan Bonny advocates an ecclesiastical recognition of homosexual relationships. The dogma that the Catholic Church can only accept male-female relationships, he put in question in an interview with this newspaper. "There should be a diversity of recognition forms."

With his plea Bonny, is one of the first church leaders who attacks the absolute monopoly of the male-female marriage. "We have to look inside the church for a formal recognition of the relationality which is also present in many gay couples. As a variety of legal frameworks in society exist for partners, he wants to instate a diversity of recognition forms in the church."

Bonny, the designated (in fact, for the time being, most likely) successor of Archbishop
André-Joseph Léonard, who will retire in 2015, believes that gay couples should be able to get a church blessing. Moreover, he argues that a homosexual relationship can also satify the criteria of a religious marriage. "The intrinsic values are more important to me than the institutional demand. The Christian ethic is based on lasting relationships where exclusivity, loyalty and care are central to each other.

Bringing up children

With a subtle formulation Bonny also puts the male-female Catholic monopoly for bringing up children in question. "Then there is the openness to new life, or at least the responsibility taken up by partners to be generous in what they provide to children."

In September, the Antwerp bishop wrote a letter to the Vatican on this matter. Among others, he include the idea that the church urgently needs to find a connection in modern society, explains why Bonny emphasises the matter. "Everyone gets to make his or her life with relationships, friendship, family and children's upbringing. We should not deny that this existed within the church injuries and traumas. Too many people were excluded for a long time."

Canon lawyer and the Rector of the (Cathcon-once) Catholic University of Leuven, Rik Torfs considers Bonny's message as a turning point: "Do not underestimate the significance of this.  Bonny advocates a  change in long-held unshakable principles, something that the dogmatic pontificates of John Paul II and Benedict XVI no bishop could afford to do. "

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