Vatican Compares Catholic Priest Pedophiles to Holocaust Victims

The latest "we're the victims" statement from the Catholic Church is astonishing.

 The AP reports: "Pope Benedict XVI's personal preacher is likening accusations against the pope and the church in the sex abuse scandal to 'collective violence' suffered by the Jews. The Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa said in a Good Friday sermon, with the pope listening to him in St. Peter's Basilica, that a Jewish friend has said the accusations remind him of the 'more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism.' The remarks came in a prayer service at the Vatican a few hours before Benedict XVI was scheduled to take part in a Colosseum Way of the Cross procession commemorating Christ's suffering before his crucifixtion."

News: Berlin, Christina Aguilera, Fire Island Pines, The Salahis

Bullet that hit Rep. Eric Cantor's office in Richmond was fired randomly, police say.

Listen: Snippet of Christina Aguilera's new single "Not Myself Tonight".

Swimming with sharks: Anderson Cooper goes back for more.

CBS 5 bids an emotional farewell to retiring openly gay reporter Hank Plante.

Washington Secretary of State files brief to Supreme Court arguing for release of petition signer's names in Referendum 71 case: "In a brief written by Deputy Solicitor William Collins, the state defends the Public Records Act and the state’s release policy. The act of signing a petition is described as a public legislative action by citizens, essentially like seconding a motion on a bill. No constitutional rights are abridged, and indeed, voters’ need for pertinent election information is enhanced, the brief says."

James Franco's fiction debut.

Pennsylvania judge denies lesbian couple a divorce.

Two gay Republicans join D.C. Council race: "Marc Morgan, who’s challenging Graham, and Timothy Day, who’s challenging Council member Harry Thomas (D-Ward 5), describe themselves as moderates with progressive views on social issues and moderate-to-conservative stands on economic matters."

New owners of Fire Island Pines resort talk about what they'll do to it: "Their immediate plans for improvement are focused on improving the Blue Whale Restaurant, redesigning the Pavilion nightclub, adding a pool deck next to the hotel, and completely revamping the Hotel Ciel (known popularly as the Botel), a cinderblock monstrosity famous for its musty rooms, broken fixtures, shared bathrooms, and insanely inflated rates."

White House party crashers win: Salahis to appear on Real Housewives of D.C..

Indonesia bans gay conference: "The decision was made after considering public objections by Muslim groups and the Indonesian Ulema Council, an influential board of Muslim clerics, he said. 'There are indications that the event could trigger a social crisis and cause public unrest,' Brig. Gen. Ishak said. 'This ban was issued for the sake of public order.'"

Jesus Luz models in 3-D.

The frequently vandalized memorial to gay victims of the Holocaust in Berlin is causing controversy for plans to feature two lesbians in the "kiss" video viewable through the memorial's small window: "Alexander Zinn, a board member of the foundation that maintains the former Nazi concentration camps near Berlin, said such a move would distort history as there were no known Holocaust victims targeted for being lesbian."

Preble Street Homeless voices for Justice receives almost $10,000 from 150 new donors: "The group lost $17,400 for this fiscal year when the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland and the Washington-based Catholic Campaign for Human Development canceled grants because of Preble Street's support for same-sex marriage in last fall's statewide gay marriage referendum."

Lithuanian Prime Minister in radio interview: "In my personal opinion, Lithuania is tolerant enough a country, in comparison to such countries like Norway or Denmark, and you can neither call it Nazi, nor homophobic."

SF's Pink Triangle Holocaust Memorial Charred in Apparent Arson

Over the weekend I wrote about the annual installation of the massive Pink Triangle atop San Francisco's Twin Peaks, meant to commemorate gay victims of the Holocaust.

Early Sunday morning, hours before the city's Gay Pride parade was set to begin, arsonists burned a portion of the triangle: "The blaze was reported at about 5 a.m. near Christmas Tree Point Road and was extinguished about 30 minutes later. A 25-by-30 foot area was damaged, she said."

Authorities now have more information about what started the blaze: "San Francisco police say road flares were used to char a section of the triangle."

Add this to the incidents in Fort Worth and New York City, and it's clear that hatred against LGBT people is still very present.

Earlier, I featured a speech by Lt. Dan Choi at the opening ceremony. Speeches by actress Cloris Leachman and Assemblyman Mark Leno, AFTER THE JUMP...

Lt. Dan Choi Speaks at Annual Unveiling of SF's Pink Triangle

 

Lt. Dan Choi speaks at the unveiling of the Pink Triangle atop San Francisco's Twin Peaks on Saturday as part of Pride weekend. The Pink Triangle is a massive installation commemorating gay victims of the Holocaust. The Pink Triangle has been installed every Pride weekend since 1995.

Watch Choi speak, AFTER THE JUMP...

Vandals Hit Berlin's Gay Holocaust Memorial a Second Time

The memorial to gay Holocaust victims, which was dedicated last May, had its window broken by vandals in August. The AP reports that it has happened again:

"Berlin police say a window on the outside of the memorial has been broken, probably with a stone. The window allows visitors to see inside the concrete memorial and view a video of a same-sex couple kissing."

Berlin's Mayor Klaus Wowereit held a press conference/protest at the monument shortly after the first attack, condemning it.

Watch the video that runs continuously through the monument's window, AFTER THE JUMP...

Previously
Berlin Memorial to Gay Holocaust Victims is Vandalized [tr]
Berlin Mayor Condemns Attack on Gay Holocaust Monument [tr]