Church spokesman Fr Charles Tabone is denying sharing a poster advertising Lenten talks on a Facebook page supporting civil unions, insisting, however, that gay people were welcome to attend.

“I feel the Church belongs to everyone. Jesus Christ came for everyone, so I’m glad [gay people] come [to the talks] because I want them to feel included in the Church of Christ just like anyone else,” he said.

This week, Fr Tabone is delivering Lenten talks at the Nazzarenu parish church in Sliema.

Before the event started, he shared the poster advertising the talks with many people and also put it on the Facebook page he created called Aċċettani Kif Jien (Accept me as I am).

However, he said, he was not the one who shared it on the Facebook page Love for All - Yes for Civil Union in Malta. He did not want to comment on whether he was glad it had been shared there.

As he is the Curia’s social communications’ delegate, he toed the Church line on the Civil Unions Bill. The Church has said it disagreed with putting civil unions at par with marriage and with a Bill that allowed gay adoptions.

However, Fr Tabone said, during his Monday night talk in Sliema he clearly spoke about the importance of accepting everyone “without reservations”.

Acceptance goes beyond tolerance

“I explicitly mentioned people who have different sexual orientations and spoke about accepting them and that acceptance goes beyond tolerance,” he said, adding that he wanted gay people to attend the talks and some had. The gay community is again in the spotlight due to the Civil Unions Bill being discussed in Parliament.

Gordon-John Manché last week presented a petition to MPs objecting to the Bill, which, among other things, allows gay adoption.

Mr Manché, who heads the River of Love Christian fellowship group, sparked controversy and a public protest last year after claiming to convert gay people.

A person commenting on the Facebook page Aċċettani Kif Jien yesterday praised Fr Tabone’s message of acceptance and wrote: “Real[l]y nice words, this is what we need to hear unlike [Mr] Manché... sorry but he is doing more wrong and scaring ppl [people] away from the Church and from God [sic].”

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