The Church doesn’t want anyone in jail, Catholic politicians who promote hate and the Totoloto tax

There are political leaders who should be in the Nuremberg Tribunal, argues José Ornelas.

The president of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP) argues that there should be a new Nuremberg tribunal for politicians who invoke Christian values ​​to defend hate speech and exclusion of minorities or other religions.

In an interview with Lusa, at the end of his second term as head of CEP, Jose Ornelas considered that “saying that in the name of God, there will be a fight of persecution and exclusion” is wrong, proposing a discourse of aggregation of those who are different in a democratic society.

“I don’t agree with you, but I agree that you have the right to express that you don’t agree with me”, summarized the bishop of Leiria-Fátima, who contested the use of religion to promote wars or persecute other people.

“Radically this is not being Catholic, I can’t use the Church to make hate speecha discourse of exclusion, a discourse of monolithism that I am the one who is right and everyone else is wrong”, he said, proposing a “path of aggregation and a common path”.

Ornelas recalled that “Jesus acted outside the box within the religiosity of the time” and “whatever speech what, in the name of Goddo discrimination of people” is “wrong”.

Nuremberg Tribunal

Many politicians who claim to be Catholic then promote hate speech and “complete freaks on the rationality of faith”.

“The Church has been persecuted and continues to be persecuted in various parts of the world precisely for this reason, because it is a territory that appeals to the values ​​of humanity, to fundamental values” and today we hear “a speech of responsible politicians who should be in the bars of the Nuremberg Tribunal”, because what they “propose is completely outside what is reason, the rationality of the human being and the Christian faith”.

“We have to collaborate in the construction of a world acceptable to everyone and for this justice and law are fundamental” and “political corruption, behind it, begins to be economic corruption”, accused José Ornelas, considering that “it is no coincidence that these wars happen in countries that have oil”.

Abortion, jail

José Ornelas also criticized those who call themselves Catholics and are against abortion or euthanasia, but then do nothing to improve the lives of families and promote social inclusion.

Ornelas lamented the speech of many believers, who use faith to promote exclusion and discrimination.

Regarding the Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy, Ornelas defends the primacy of human life, but rejects the speech of those who are “against abortion and against the living”.

“A person who says he is against abortion, but then leaves the living in misery” or “accept the bombing of hospitals where mothers are with their babies in incubators” that “not a Christian”, stated the bishop of Leiria-Fátima, recalling the Church’s coherence in this matter.

“The Church has been very clear: I don’t want to see anyone go to jailmuch less a mother who is in difficulty and who already suffers what she suffers” and “I would like you to have opportunities to be able to have your child and take care of him properly”, he said.

Therefore, they must be given “conditionss to families to have their children” and it is not up to the Church to judge the “difficult personal decisions” of many women.

About euthanasia, Those who opt for this solution “have my full attention and solidarity”, as well as “God’s love”.

“I don’t want anyone in jail, but I also don’t accept that the solution is simply to resolve the problem via the smaller” or “easier” route, instead of investing in palliative care, explained José Ornelas.

Tax on victims

The magazine reported that the Tax will tax victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Churchexplaining that the 1.6 million euros paid as compensation for abuses are not exempt from paying taxes and, “in some cases, the financial compensation may fall by half the amount reported”.

The president of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference considered that taxing victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church is not “ethically acceptable”.

“I don’t see that it would be ethically acceptable for the State, despite all the legislation and everything it has, to make an effort to meet the victims and then have the State take them away. [indemnizações]”, stated José Ornelas, in Fátima.

On the sidelines of the 5th National Meeting of Diocesan Commissions for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults, on Saturday, Ornelas, also bishop of the Diocese of Leiria-Fátima, declared that the CEP has “some opinions”, but “the opinions are not always uniform”, hoping that compensation will not be taxed.

To journalists, José Ornelas said that the CEP is already “dealing with the matter”, arguing that “any person with common sense would say otherwise [a não tributação]”. “I don’t want any harm to the State, everyone pays taxes, now people who have already suffered go overload them furthermore, with a fiscal weight…”, commented the bishop, to highlight that this is an “extraordinary situation”.

For José Ornelas, “this is not a lottery” and compensation “does not increase the victims’ assets”, but rather goes to “meeting expenses of all kinds, economic, but also emotional and personal of all kinds”. “And I think that a worthy State, if it went over that for me, would be incredible”, maintained the president of the CEP.

Election

The Portuguese bishops will meet from today in Fátima in another Plenary Assembly of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, which will have as its main point the election of the new leaders.

The bishop of Leiria-Fátima, José Ornelas, reaches the limit of two terms at the head of the CEP and will make his last intervention today as leader of the Catholic Church in Portugal.

The election should take place on Tuesday, the second day of the plenary assembly’s work, and the leadership of the various CEP episcopal commissions is also under discussion.

To take their place, the names of Virgílio do Nascimento AntunesBishop of Coimbra (64 years old) and Rui Valério, patriarch of Lisbon (62 years old).