The Vatican is allegedly secretly funding ‘gay cure’ therapy
A former Catholic priest has claimed that the Vatican is funding therapy to ‘cure’ the homosexuality of gay clergymen.
The claim comes amid heightened tensions over the Church’s anti-LGBT stance, after a Polish priest was sacked for coming out as gay.
The allegations come from Sardinian former priest Mario Bonfanti, who was forced out of the church for his sexuality, despite maintaining his vow of celibacy.
He told La Repubblica newspaper: “There exists a convent where priests who manifest inappropriate sexual tendencies are sent to reflect.
“It’s a place where they help you to rediscover the straight and narrow. They wanted to ‘cure’ me but I refused to go.”
He named The Venturini Convent as the location of the ‘gay cure’ centre for Catholic priests.
The Convent was founded by Mario Venturini in 1928, and bills itself as a centre where priests “can confront their problems” through “various types of therapy”.
Despite the Pope’s ‘who am I to judge’ PR blitz, Catholic doctrine continues to maintain that homosexuality is a disorder.
Father Gianluigi Pasto, 71, the head of the convent, confirmed that it deals with “problems connected to sex”, but insisted it did not deal with gay people or child abusers.
He said: “Priests come to us for a period of formation and personal reflection. At the moment we have neither gay priests nor paedophile priests here. Certainly our job is to welcome everybody.
“We don’t speak of our work but it is well known to many bishops and dioceses. They know what we can offer.”
