(Source: NRC.nl)
Homosexuals can now attend communion in all parishes in the diocese of Den Bosch.
This is the outcome of a meeting between the church council of the main Roman Catholic church in the Netherlands, St. John’s Cathedral in Den Bosch, priest Geertjan Van Rossum, Vera Bergkamp of the gay organisation COC and editor-in-chief of the gay peridocial Gaykrant.
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“People should decide for themselves whether or not to attend communion whatever their sexuality and should do so with a clean conscience,” said a spokesperson for the diocese.
The openly gay Prince of the Carnival who was recently refused communion in the provincial town of Reusel therefore should have received it. The church’s refusal to give him communion sparked protests at Roman Catholic church services up and down the Netherlands on Sunday.
During the protest, gay rights demonstrators dressed in pink and wearing wigs of the same colour walked out of the service at St. John’s after priest Geertjan van Rossum said “the correct experience of sexuality is part of the ten commandments”.
Gay organisations COC and the ‘Friends of Gaykrant’ are pleased with the “reconciliatory words” from the church council. Bergkamp said, “The discussion has been initiated. The church council has indicated it wants a long-term contact.”
The church council has called on demonstrators not to protest in church by wearing pink triangles or calling out slogans. The gay organisations have decided not to continue their Sunday mass protests. They hope their supporters will follow suit.
