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This unhinged Catholic priest said that Satan created the rainbow flag

A rainbow flag in front of some trees
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A Catholic priest has come under fire for a sermon in which he said that Satan created the rainbow flag.

Father Jerome Lavigne of Calgary, Alberta, said in a sermon this past February that the rainbow flag is a symbol of “lawlessness” and condemned “fornication, homosexual acts, prostitution, pedophilia, sodomy.”

“And who’s the master behind all of this?” Lavigne asked. “It’s not flesh and blood. It’s way too ingenious.”

“There is only one who twists truth to this level. Who unleashes unfathomable proportions by means of taking that which exists as a covenant that God established, and completely turning it on its head so that it represents, once again, the very evil from which God’s reprimanding hand was unleashed upon creation in the very first place? His name is Satan.”

He went on to say that it was a “self-taught lie” to believe that people are born gay.

Related: Church removes priest who ‘exorcised’ a rainbow flag out of ‘concern for his welfare’

The Calgary Diocese removed the video from its website this past July, saying in a statement: “The Catholic Church advocates for the common good of society, so that we live together in an atmosphere of peace, safety and respect for the dignity of one another regardless of age, ancestry, body image, culture, sexual orientation and religion.”

But the video resurfaced on the internet. The doicese has not said whether Lavigne faced disciplinary action.

Lavigne, though, remains the vicar of education for the diocese. While he does not have a formal role in state-funded Catholic schools, he regularly interacts with children.

“It’s not fine to bring those beliefs into a public school environment,” said MacEwan University professor Kristopher Wells. “These are the kinds of comments that breed hatred, violence and discrimination.”

The Calgary Star reports that Lavigne has ties with white supremacist Faith Goldy, having invited her to a panel discussion in 2016.

The rainbow flag was designed in 1978 by Gilbert Baker.

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