Gilmore: Pope’s words comfort anti-gay thugs

THE Pope’s anti-gay rhetoric “gives comfort” to thugs carrying out violent homophobic assaults, Labour leader Eamon Gilmore has warned.

Mr Gilmore said Benedict XVI should “temper” his language as his hard-line stance encouraged discrimination.

“We have many examples of where there is not only discrimination against gay people, but there has been nasty homophobic bullying and assaults on gay people and I think opinions like that give comfort to that,” he told the Irish Examiner.