Didn't we leave the Middle Ages?

Pinknews.com is carrying a story about outrageous remarks made by a Brazilian archbishop. 

A Brazilian archbishop has claimed that children are "spontaneously gay." He added that gay rights will lead to rights for pedophiles.

Although Archbishop Dadeus Grings (right) did condemn childhood sexual abuse within the church he also argued that internal punishment of guilty priests was sufficient, rather that involving the police.

Grings, who is the archbishop of the Porto Alegre diocese, one of the largest in Brazil, said: "For the church to go and accuse its own sons would be a little strange."

He also warned of the dangers of homosexuality, saying: "We know that the adolescent is spontaneously homosexual. Boys play with boys, girls play with girls.

"If there is no proper guidance, this sticks. The question is – how are we going to educate our children to use a sexuality that is human and suitable?"

He added that equal rights for gays and lesbians would "pretty soon" lead to acceptance of pedophilia.

He told the newspaper: "When sexuality is trivialized, it's clear that this is going to affect all cases. Homosexuality is such a case. Before, the homosexual wasn't spoken of. He was discriminated against.

"When we begin to say they have rights, rights to demonstrate publicly, pretty soon, we'll find the rights of pedophiles."

According to Associated Press, Grings has also upset Jewish groups in the past with remarks about the Holocaust.

Last year, he told a magazine that "more Catholics than Jews died in the Holocaust, but this isn't known because the Jews control the world's media."

What I find so ironic here is that it is the archbishop who is "trivializing" the sexual abuse of children by arguing that police have no role in the scandal.  It is still staggering to me that these sorts of men are leaders of the church.  It's as if they never left the Middle Ages.