Priest Reprimanded Over Anti-Gay Pamphlet

(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) A priest in central Pennsylvania has been ordered to stop distributing an anti-gay pamphlet that his bishop says "borders on the pornographic" and which gay activists and scientists say is riddled with inaccuracies and lies.

Rev. John Nesbella has been handing out the pamphlets as part of the church's campaign against same-sex marriage. While bishop Joseph Adamec remains opposed to gay marriage and in favor of a constitutional amendment to bar it, he says Nesbella has gone too far.

The pamphlets were obtained by the priest from the right wing Family Research Institute, part of Focus on the Family, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

It was authored by Paul Cameron, who is described as a sociologist and the chair of the FRI. The brochures graphically describe various gay sex acts, including contact with urine and feces, and refers to Cameron's own research that concludes that, "Homosexuals are sexually troubled people engaging in dangerous activities."

That Rev Nesbella was handing out the pamphlets first came to the attention of the diocese when gay rights activists complained.

Gregory Herek, a professor and expert on hate crimes and sexual prejudice at the University of California-Davis, says Cameron twists or misunderstands others' research and uses poor methods to do his own surveys.

"The Bishop was concerned that the explicit nature of the material might lead us to become part of the problem rather than part of the solution," said Sister Mary Parks, a spokesperson for the diocese.

But, Nesbella says he believed he was just following the directives of the Vatican and the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops which said Catholics should oppose gay marriage politically.

Ordained 18 months ago, Nesbella has been writing editorials and letters to the editor of local newspapers condemning against same-sex marriage for about five years.

"I really believe that God wants me to do this," Nesbella said. "I just believe that the medical consequences of homosexuality are so serious and horrific that somebody has to say something about it."

Dr. Brian Kopp, a Johnstown podiatrist who attends another parish involved in Nesbella's effort, said he's checked out the pamphlets and Cameron's research.

"I'm a trained physician, I know how to evaluate medical literature," said Kopp, vice president of the Catholic Family Association of America, a grass-roots anti-abortion group. "He's coming under fire for essentially the same reasons that pro-life activists come under fire for showing picket signs of aborted babies: He is revealing to the public a grim reality that the mainstream media doesn't want to reveal."

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