Catholic conference retracts invitation to former Iraq hostage

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http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2007/10/26/loney-winnipeg.html

James Loney, who was held by militants in Iraq, says a Catholic-organized peace conference in Winnipeg rescinded his invitation to speak because of his sexual orientation.

Loney, one of four peace activists taken hostage in Iraq in November 2005, was invited to speak about his experience and about peace at the conference this weekend, which is organized by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Winnipeg.

"I asked if it was because I was gay, and the answer was, 'No, it's because you are in a relationship with man,'" he told CBC News. snip

Winnipeg Roman Catholic Archbishop James Weisgerber defended his decision to withdraw the invitation on CBC's Information Radio Friday morning, saying the matter was not about sexual orientation, but about Loney's public criticism of the church's teachings on sexuality.

"He's not being excluded because he's homosexual. He's being excluded because he takes public opposition to an important teaching of the church," he said.