A Catholic priest who caused
outrage on Tuesday when he said he could understand being a
paedophile but not being gay has been asked to leave his parish
by Friday, archdiocesan sources said Wednesday.
Father Gino Flaim, a pastoral collaborator of the San Pio X
church in Trento, was asked to leave by the archbishop himself.
He reportedly accepted the request and said he would spend
some time abroad.
The Trento archdiocese stripped the priest of his duties
soon after the airing of an interview during an afternoon talk
show on La7 TV channel, in which he claimed some children seek
affection from a priest because they are neglected at home.
Asked whether children cause paedophilia, he answered "to a
great extent, yes" and went on to describe homosexuality as an
illness.
Parishioners in Trento were divided over the move, with
some saying Father Flaim had "brought it on himself" and others
claiming he had been "unfairly treated" and "misunderstood".
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