Gay Today: World

Poland's Accused
Roman Catholic Bishop Quits

Western Australia Grants Gay Rights

By Rex Wockner
International News Report

Poland's Accused
Roman Catholic Bishop Quits

Monsignor Juliusz Paetz: Stepping down admist scandal

The Roman Catholic bishop of Poznan, Poland, accused of sexually harassing seminarians and priests, resigned March 28.

Monsignor Juliusz Paetz, 67, denied the allegations but said, "The Church in Poznan needs peace and unity, so for the good of the church I asked the Holy Father to accept my resignation."

Paetz was outed February 23 by the daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita, which said the incidents occurred so frequently that the rector of the nation's seminary banned Paetz from the property.

In his resignation announcement, which came at the end of a mass, Paetz said: "My kindness and spontaneity have been abused. My words, gestures and acts have been twisted and misinterpreted."

Poland's leading news agency, PAP, said young seminarians sitting in the congregation snickered as Paetz spoke.

Western Australia Grants Gay Rights

Legislation passed the parliament of the state of Western Australia March 21 that grants same-sex couples marriage rights in areas such as adoption, in-vitro fertilization, property transfer, medical treatment, inheritance and death benefits.

Legislators also lowered the legal age for gay sex from 21 to 16.

According to the Australian Associated Press, the measures were "among the most contentious pieces of legislation in WA in years, as pro-family groups held rallies and placed newspaper advertisements suggesting the laws would lead to men having sex with 13-year-old boys."

Related Stories from the GayToday Archive:
Vatican Blames Gay Sexuality for Priests Pedophilia

Catholic Cardinal Quits Over Molestation Charges

Australian Prime Minister's Support for Homophobe Backfires

Related Sites:
Catholic Church's Pedophila Scandal

Gay & Lesbian Human Rights in Australia
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WA's largest city is Perth.