One of Pope Francis' newest cardinals has sparked outrage by claiming that homosexuality is a 'physical defect' that can be 'cured with the proper treatment'. Recently elected Fernando Sebastian Aguilar from Spain, 85, who takes up his office in the Vatican in February, angered gay rights groups by likening the sexual orientation to long lasting physical aliments like his own high blood pressure. The comments are in direct contrast to Pope Francis' recent assertion that the Catholic church should not marginalise gay people, but should instead treat them with acceptance and compassion; comments that were immediately attacked by local politicians.
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Likened homosexuality to human defects like his own high blood pressure
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Comments were directly opposing Pope's recent views on homosexuality
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LGBT community calls Cardinal's comments 'medieval' and 'out of touch'
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Cardinal claimed Pope's message of compassion had been 'manipulated'
@placeholder, the only Spaniard among the 19 new cardinals, insisted the Pope's message about gay people had been manipulated.