Benedict backpedals, surrogate claims homophobic remarks 'misrepresented'

Oh this is rich. The deluge of MSM and blogosphere coverage of Papa Ratzi's ludicrous recent statements comparing the saving of the rainforest to saving humanity from homosexuality and "transsexual behavior" clearly has the old man shaken and his PR machine in high gear. He's trotted out one of his boyz, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales to try to clean up the mess.

During an interview on this morning on Radio 4's Today programme, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor said that the pope "wasn't condeming anyone or any person" with his comments.

The cardinal went on to say that the pope was only trying to emphasise the importance of the family, and the responsibility on humans to procreate.

OMFG. I'm dying laughing even as I read this. OK. Here's more...

He also said that Pope Benedict's comments were "quite difficult to interpret" and as a result of this that he had been "very much" misrepresented in the media.

The Pope said behaviour beyond traditional heterosexual relations is "a destruction of God's work."

He also said man must be protected "from the destruction of himself" and urged respect for the "nature of the human being as man and woman."

"The tropical forests do deserve our protection. But man, as a creature, does not deserve any less."

Do you see anything to misinterpret there? Nobody's buying it.

The UK based gay humanist charity the Pink Triangle Trust has described the Pope's statement as clear evidence of paranoia.

"This must be the most ourtrageous and bizarre claim yet made by the Pope who has already got a well-deserved reputation as one the most viciously homophobic world leaders on a par with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe," said PTT secretary and trustee George Broadhead.

Related:

* Another Papal bigot eruption

* The Pope's Christmas Condemnation Of Transsexuals

* Washington Times columnist: Pope Benedict hasn't a hateful homophobic bone in his body