- Jānis Pujats
infobox cardinalstyles
cardinal name=Jānis Pujats
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
See=Riga|Jānis Pujats (born
14 November 1930 ) is theArchbishop ofRiga ,Latvia .Pujats was born in the town ofNautreni . He attended the Theological Seminary in Riga until it was closed by theSoviet Union in 1951. Two months later, he was ordained in a secret ceremony by ArchbishopAntonijs Springovics . During the episcopate ofPope Paul VI , he implemented the Pope's liturgical reform and published the firstmissal in Latvian. Cardinal Pujats was made Archbishop of Riga in 1991. On21 February 1998 he was made a Cardinal "in pectore " byPope John Paul II ; his cardinalate was not publicly revealed until theconsistory of21 February 2001 . He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that selectedPope Benedict XVI . He is noted for being the only member of the Synod of Bishops to speak exclusivelyLatin when at the microphone at both the 2001 and 2005 meetings. [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-1840165,00.html "Cardinals call on Pope to save Latin from last rites"] ,The Times , 24 Oct 2005]Condemnation of homosexuality
In a May 2007 open letter protesting a
gay pride march scheduled for 3 June 2007 as part of theRiga Pride and Friendship Days , Pujāts referred to homosexuality as "absolute depravity in sexual behavior" and an "unnatural form of prostitution". [ [http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=24043 "Interfax: Homosexuality 'unnatural form of prostitution', Latvian Catholic leader says"] ,Interfax /Catholic Online , 10 May 2007] He went on to exhort the faithful to "be prepared to go out into the streets" [ [http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/17917/ "Gay pride parade to attract international audience"] ,The Baltic Times , 23 May 2007] to protest the events, "not to create disorder, but to offer a disciplined position in support of the government, because on this very important issue of morals, the government is on the side of Christians." [ [http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-4338.html "Cardinal: homosexuality a form of prostitution"] ,Pink News , 9 May 2007]ee also
*
Roman Catholic Church of Latvia
*LGBT rights in Latvia References
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