MANCHESTER,
N.H.
(AP)
—
Episcopal
Bishop
Gene
Robinson
said
he
led
a
confidential
retreat
a
few
years
ago
for
gay
Roman
Catholic
priests.
Robinson,
the
first
openly
gay
bishop
in
the
Episcopal
Church
and
world
Anglican
Communion,
said
the
Catholic
priest
group
that
organized
the
meeting
had
invited
him
to
attend.
About
75
Catholic
clergy
from
around
the
U.S.
participated
without
notifying
their
bishops
or
provincial
leaders,
Robinson
said.
In
2005,
the
Vatican
issued
a
document
affirming
the
church’s
stance
that
men
with
“deep-seated”
attraction
to
other
men
should
not
be
ordained.
The
retreat
was
held
outside
of
New
England,
but
Robinson
would
not
say
where.
The
Laconia
Daily
Sun
reports
that
Robinson
briefly
discussed
the
retreat
during
a
question-and-answer
session
after
a
viewing
Oct.
25
of
“For
The
Bible
Tells
Me
So,”
a
documentary
featuring
his
life
story.
The
film
makes
a
link
between
sexism
and
anti-gay
prejudice,
contending
that
“at
its
root,
the
hatred
of
gays
is
driven
by
a
hatred
and
second-class
status
of
women,”
Robinson
said.
Robinson
said
he
made
a
similar
point
in
the
priests’
retreat.
“I
had
said
to
them,
‘It’s
too
dangerous
for
you
to
come
out
as
gay
to
your
superiors,
but
I
believe
that
if
you
work
for
the
ordination
of
women
in
your
church,
you
will
go
a
long
way
toward
opening
the
door
for
the
acceptance
of
gay
priests,”
Robinson
said.
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