Gustaaf Joos

Gustaaf Joos (5 July 1923 – 2 November 2004) was a Belgian cleric, who was elevated to the Roman Catholic College of Cardinals on 21 October 2003.

He studied with Karol Woytyla before the latter's election to Pope John Paul II. Joos was already 80 years old when he was elevated to cardinal and therefore could not take part in any future conclave. His elevation as cardinal was seen by many as gratitude from Pope John Paul II towards his long-time friend.

Before his nomination he was only known as a parish priest. Belgian media mistook him for another priest just after he was elevated to Cardinal.

After announcing his intention to elevate Father Joos to the Cardinalate, Pope John Paul also appointed him as Titular Bishop of Ypres, and he was consecrated on 7 October 2003, days before the Consistory in which he was raised to the College of Cardinals. After his elevation, Cardinal Joos continued to live in the Diocese of Ghent, serving as a parish priest and as judicial vicar in ecclesiastical tribunals.

Interview of Gustaaf Joos with P-magazine

Joos gained notoriety in January 2004, when in an interview to Belgian P-Magazine, he said, about homosexuals:

"I am prepared to sign here in my blood that of all those who say they are lesbian or gay, at most five to 10 per cent are effectively lesbian or gay. All the rest are sexual perverts. I demand you write this down. If they come to protest on my doorstep, I don't care. I'm just speaking out on what thousands of people are thinking but never get a chance to say. Real homosexuals don't wander in the streets in colourful suits. Those are people who have a serious problem and have to live with that. And if they err, they will be forgiven."

about politics and universal suffrage:

"Politics, democracy. Don't make me laugh. The right to vote, what is that all about? I find it strange that a snot-nosed 18-year-old has the same vote as a father of seven. One has no responsibilities whatsoever, the other provides tomorrow's citizens. "

and about prostitution:

"If a man thinks he needs sex or is going to explode, it is better to find a prostitute than seduce or rape a girl. At least there are no innocent victims involved".

Joos also expressed admiration for Cyriel Verschaeve, a Belgian priest and poet who was convicted as a Nazi collaborator for recruiting young men for the Eastern Front during the Second World War.

This interview created a stir in some Belgian media. Upon the fierce reaction of those media, Joos always stood by his comments. Godfried Cardinal Danneels distanced himself from Joos through his spokesman Toon Osaer, while the Belgian Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism even threatened to sue him for violating an anti-discrimination law. As a consequence of this interview, Cardinal Joos received death threats.