Church of Cyprus bishop Neophytos Masouras of Morphou has come under fire for saying that gay people exist because pregnant women have anal sex. The bishop made the statement at a primary school in Akaki, Nicosia District. While the incident is from June, it started doing surfaced online after a video clip of the bishop's statement was posted on social media. Pope Francis Says Gay People Should Not Become Catholic Priests in New Book.

He said, 'It happens during the parent's intercourse or pregnancy. It follows an abnormal sexual act between the parents. To be more clear, anal sex. [Saint Porphyrios] says that when the woman likes that, a desire is born, and then the desire is passed on to the child.' Cypriot LGBTI rights group ACCEPT said that the bishop's comments came during a series of 'spiritual meetings of dialogue'. The convention was open to the general public where both children and adults can attend and ask questions to the bishop. 'God Made You This Way And Loves You', Pope Francis Tells Gay Man! LGBT Community Rejoice.

The video footage of the incident was posted on Facebook by Accept LGBTI Cyprus with the caption, "How are lesbians created?" The video was quick to the viral and garnered various reactions. One of the comments read, "So, father, if the woman does oral, will the child become a dentist?"  Another reads, "The problem is not this ignoramus, the tragic problem is that there are thousands who believe him." Pope: Parents of Gay Kids Shouldn't Condemn Them.

Here is the Facebook Post:

In 1998, Cyprus decriminalised homosexuality, following which various amendments were made to make the LGBT community feel more inclusive. However, LGBT issues continue to loom in the island country. In 2004, Cyprus banned discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, while civil unions were introduced for same-sex couples in 2015.

Same-sex adoption is still not legal in Cyprus and gay people are banned from serving in the military. And in 2015, a hate crime bill protecting LGBT+ people was passed, while a public consultation was held on a proposed gender recognition law in 2018. In Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus, homosexuality was decriminalised in 2014, and LGBT+ people do not have much recognition.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 27, 2019 09:06 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).