ITALY – Following his claims that homosexuality caused the fall of the Roman Empire, a leading Italian academic is facing calls for his resignation as vice president of the country’s Centre for National Research.
Professor Roberto De Mattei, vice-president of Italy’s Centre for National Research, a devout Catholic who previously claimed that the Japanese earthquake and tsunami was “divine punishment,” made his claims in an interview for a religious radio station.
During his interview with Radio Maria, Professor De Mattei said, “The collapse of the Roman Empire and the arrival of the Barbarians was due to the spread of homosexuality.
The Roman colony of Carthage was a paradise for homosexuals … the abnormal presence of a few deviants infected many others.”
Professor De Mattei continued, “The invasion of the Barbarians of Rome was seen as punishment for this moral transgression. It is well known that effeminate men and homosexuals have no place in the Kingdom of God. Homosexuality was not rife among the Barbarians, and this shows that God’s justice comes throughout history, not at the end of time.”
Massimo Donadi, a senior member of an opposition party, Italy of Values, said he would refer the affair to parliament.
