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Bishop Joseph Devine anti-gay, say stars

Sir Ian McKellen and Simon Callow, Britain’s most prominent gay film actors, have launched an outspoken attack on Bishop Joseph Devine, the second most senior figure in the Scottish Catholic church, accusing him of preaching “homophobia” from the pulpit.

McKellen and Callow strongly criticised a speech made by Devine earlier this year, in which he singled out the decision to award McKellen an honour from the Queen as an example of the dangers of the increasing power of the gay lobby.

McKellen, who played Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, criticised the bishop’s “arrogant” attitude, while Callow, labelled him “ignorant”, “stupid” and “profoundly unchristian”.

Bishop Devine said there was no evidence he had ever preached “homophobia” and insisted he merely used McKellen’s honour to illustrate the “power and the strength of the homosexual lobby”.

Full story at the Sunday Times.