Gustaaf Joos (; 5 July 1923 – 2 November 2004) was a prelate of the Diocese of Ghent, who was elevated to the Catholic

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals (), also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. there are cardinals, of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Appointed by the pope, ...

on 21 October 2003 by Pope John Paul II.

Biography

He studied with Karol Woytyla in the

Belgian Pontifical College The Belgian Pontifical College (; ; ) in Rome is a Belgian Catholic educational institution. Founded in 1844, the college is the residence for students sent by the Bishops of the Belgian dioceses to study in Rome. History The college was establishe ...

before the latter's election to

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

. Before his nomination as cardinal he was made a member of the St Bavo Chapter in 1961.

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

Joos was a judicial vicar in ecclesiastical tribunals of the diocese of Ghent, doctor in canon law. He was professor at CIBI and the seminary. In 2003 the Vatican published the wish of the pope to create Joos cardinal in the next

Consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistor ...

. In Belgium everyone was surprised, in the Belgian media he was only known as a parish priest. Belgian media mistook him for another priest just after he was elevated to cardinal. It was the first time in the history of the diocese that a canon was elevated to cardinal. His elevation as cardinal was seen by many as gratitude from Pope John Paul II towards his long-time friend. After announcing his intention to elevate

Joos to the rank of cardinal, Pope John Paul also appointed him titular Bishop of Ypres, and Joos was consecrated on 7 October 2003, days before the consistory at which he became a member of 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. The cardinal died in Landskouter, and received a pontifical funeral in Saint-Bavo cathedral. He was buried like requested in Landskouter, and not in the Cathedral of Ghent.

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 Universal suffrage or universal franchise ensures the right to vote for as many people bound by a government's laws as possible, as supported by the " one person, one vote" principle. For many, the term universal suffrage assumes the exclusion ...

: :"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 Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

collaborator for recruiting young men for the Eastern Front during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. 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 Unia, or the Interfederal Center for Equal Opportunities () and the Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism () is an independent public institution that fights discrimination and promotes equal opportunities in Belgium. History ...

threatened to sue him for violating an anti-discrimination law. As a consequence of this interview, Cardinal Joos received death threats.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joos, Cardinal Gustaaf 1923 births 2004 deaths Belgian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II Canons (priests) People from Sint-Niklaas Belgian Roman Catholic titular bishops Controversies in Belgium Religious controversies in Belgium