Dominican Catholic Church ratchets rebuke of gay U.S. ambassador

Santo Domingo.- Dominican Republic’s Catholic Church on Thursday ratcheted its rebuke of U.S. president Barack Obama’s nomination of a gay rights activist as Washington’s new ambassador in the country, noting that “we can expect anything” from that country.

Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez reiterated his rejection of homosexual preferences, in reference to U.S. ambassador-designee James "Wally" Brewster.

"I don’t agree in the least with that kind of preference (homosexuals) … if he has it, go ahead. If the Government of Washington believes that it’s able to send such ambassadors and dignitaries to the world, that’s an affair of Washington’s government," the prelate said, and when asked about the row with Haiti over poultry, added that “how did we jump from a fa..ot to chickens.”

U.S. Embassy reacts

Acting U.S. Ambassador and Embassy chief of staff Daniel Foote on Wednesday said Brewster comes to Dominican Republic as an ambassador and not as a gay activist.

The diplomat’s statement comes after the Catholic Church’s rebuke for Obama’s decision, and asked president Danilo Medina to reject it.

Foote said America’s freedom of thought, freedom of religion, expression and lifestyle, is one of the greatest values ??and that freedom includes total diversity, which is the strongest and most important source for Americans.