San Sebastian, Spain, Jun 9, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Bishop Juan Maria Uriarte of San Sebastian has terminated Fr. Juan Cruz Mendizabal’s tenure as the diocese’s director of Youth Ministry after he celebrated the closing Mass for a controversial conference for homosexuals last month.
According to the Spanish newspaper “La Razon,” the conference—which was attended by only 60 people—took place in San Sebastian April 16-18 under the title, “Christianity and Homosexuality” and was organized by gay and lesbian groups in the Basque province.
During the conference, participants condemned the Church’s interpretation of biblical texts on homosexuality and they demanded the Church “ask for forgiveness for justifying the dehumanization of homosexuals,” as a condition for entering into dialogue with the Church.
Fr. Mendizabal, who headed up the diocese’s youth ministry for several years, celebrated a Mass to close the conference and organized a concert by the Christian band Egun Sentia.