Bologna, April 10, 2015 – "No surprise, but a lot of anger: it should now be clear to everyone that the Vatican is like Uganda": Flavio Romani, president of Arcigay, reacts indignantly to the news that French Ambassador Laurent Stefanini has been denied accreditation to the Vatican. A refusal which, according to the media reporting it, was motivated by Mr. Stefanini's homosexuality. "In Uganda," Romani says, "gays and lesbians are persecuted 'in the name of God' by fanatical churches inspired by the far right. Similarly, in the Vatican, homosexuals are rejected, despite their merits and unquestionable qualities, and, above all, despite the lip service of welcoming them. The pontiff had said, 'Who am I to judge a homosexual?'" Evidently, even in the Vatican, they preach well but practice badly (in this as in many other areas), so when it comes to facts, the high-ranking prelates have shown their true colors. What was practiced against Laurent Stefanini, in compliance with the pressure of fanatics and far-right groups, is discrimination; there is no other term to describe it. And those who discriminate are a burden to civilization, if not a threat. Those who today exclude a person by virtue of their sexual orientation reproduce the same thinking as those who fight 'holy wars' against those who believe in a different god or against those who come from a distant country. This hostility, which manifests itself both in rejection and in persecution, it is a real cancer and even a convinced atheist realizes that all this has nothing to do with God, with any God.".
