A Colombian bishop who said this week that one of Jesus' apostles or Mary Magdalene could have been homosexual has apologized for his "unfortunate colloquial expressions" and insisted he embraces the church's teachings on gays.
"Even if homosexuality as an inclination doesn’t constitute a sin, it’s regarded as a disordered conduct," said Bishop Juan Vicente Cordoba on Friday, just one day after he said in a published statement that homosexuality is not a sin and "we don't know if one of Jesus' disciples" was gay, reports the Catholic publication
Crux.
"We don’t know either if Mary Magdalene was a lesbian," Cordoba also said on Thursday, during a university conference on gay marriage and adoption.
His comments offended people on both sides of the issue, leading to Friday's apology.
Colombia's gay community was offended because the bishop reportedly used a "pejorative Spanish term" for a gay man, reports the
BBC.
But the audience's conservatives also condemned his supportive statements about same-sex relationships.
While apologizing for his comments, Cordoba said the church should show respect for the gay community. However, he stressed that the church will not recognize same-sex marriages and that the church believes homosexuality goes against natural law.
Same-sex marriage and adoptions have become a strongly debated topic in Columbia, where the country's constitutional court has ruled that same-sex couples could only be permitted to adopt a child if one of the partners was the child's biological mother or father. In addition, Colombia law forbids same-sex marriages.
Cordoba, a Jesuit, oversees one of the seven dioceses comprising Bogota, reports
Fox News.