Labour party leader Eamon Gilmore is refusing to back down after being caught out misquoting the Pope. In an interview with the Irish Examiner newspaper more than a week ago Mr Gilmore called on the Pope to tone down his allegedly homophobic remarks. In a quite outrageous sslur Mr Gilmore accused the Pope of giving support to people who perpetrate violence and hatred towards gay people.
Referring to a now (unjustifiably) infamous speech delivered by Pope Benedict XVI in December 2008, Mr Gilmore criticised the Pope’s ‘claim’ that people need to do more to protect the world from gay people than to protect the rainforests. One might argue that the statement is unjustifiable…if it were true that is.
The problem for Mr Gilmore is that the Pope never actually made the alleged remarks. The remarks were outrageously misquoted by Reuters (and slavishly reproduced in the English-speaking press). A quick read of the Pope’s text and an audio recording of the speech as it was actually delivered available on Vatican Radio and it is obvious the Pope said nothing about saving the world from gay people. In fact, to say that the Pope was misquoted is almost an understatement: the quote was invented.
A spokesman for Mr Gilmore this week insisted that he “noted” the Church’s interpretation of the Pope’s word. However, he said “we also note that others, including members of the gay community, have interpreted them in a different way”.
The problem for Mr Gilmore is that it is not a matter of interpretation. Either the Pope made the remarks or he didn’t. The record clearly shows that he did not make the remarks. Mr Gilmore, like many politicians, has made a first-class gaffe. He should accept that he is wrong and apologise for the gaffe rather than compound his mistake by insisting that he is right.
