A renegade Colombian priest has won the ire of the Catholic Church by officiating over a gay wedding in the southwest, reported local media Thursday.
Clergyman Alberto Piedrahita, who was ordained in Canada, had apparently been presiding over unauthorized Masses in farms and cemeteries near the southwestern city of Cartago. “We knew that…but when we heard the indignation of the people because of the gay marriage, the cup overflowed,” explained Bishop Jose Alejandro Castaño.
According to Castaño, the Catholic Church views the marriage as invalid.
Although gay marriage is illegal in Colombia, the controversial issue is currently being debated in the nation’s congress. The Church and conservative politicians have lobbied hard on the issue. A bill to recognize gay marriage has already been proposed and defeated six times in the Colombian Congress.
