Gilmore’s remarks highly offensive to Catholics

IN an interview published on June 28 with Eamon Gilmore, leader of the Labour party, your political correspondent Shaun Connolly wrote that Mr Gilmore urges “… Pope Benedict XVI to ‘temper’ statements such as claiming that ‘saving’ humanity from homosexuality was as important as protecting the rain forests.

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.”

Mr Gilmore seems to be referring to an address by Pope Benedict to cardinals, bishops and priests delivered on December 22, 2008, which was subsequently interpreted incorrectly by some media outlets.