Letter to the Pope widens Dominican Republic catholic, gay rift

Santo Domingo.- Just 12 hours after reports that U.S. ambassador James ‘Wally’ Brewster met with the country’s gay and lesbian community, Dominican Republic’ envoy to the Vatican warned that "the new U.S. ambassador ("married" to a man) has met gays and transsexuals who confront the Catholic Church," to in his view seek to ouster cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez.

Víctor Grimaldi, in a letter to Pope Francis Thursday, called it a "longstanding a campaign of attacks against cardinal López Rodríguez for this and other issues, because Santo Domingo’s Archbishop is considered the head to overthrow."

In the letter to the Holy See the Dominican diplomat defends the Cardinal calls Brewster’s meeting with gay community representatives “regretful.”

"Dominican Republic’s Constitution stipulates that marriage between a man and a woman, now the new U.S. Ambassador ("married" to a man) has met with gays and transsexuals who confront the Catholic Church and alleges that the Dominican State isn’t secular," Grimaldi said.

The missive is the latest dispute between the country’s LGBT community and López Rodríguez, who’s been a strong critic of gay and lesbian advocates, even called Brewster a ‘faggot.’