French Catholic group buy gay bar so they can close it down
By Will Stroude
An evangelical Catholic group in France has bought a gay bar next door to one of its churches so they can close it down for good.
The Missionaries of Mercy bought the popular gay venue in the southern city of Toulon after the owners filed for bankruptcy, meaning they had no choice but to sell it to the highest bidder, The Local reports.
The Catholic group published an online statement explaining that they had acquired the bar – which stands next door to one of their churches and will now be used as a meeting place for the group – as part of an effort to evangelize the community.
The statement said that “the bar of Sodom will become the bar of mercy.”
Titi – president of the Gay Power Toulon association – told The Local: “I would have preferred if someone else got it but they’ve wanted the place for years.
“To them, it’s like Satan is right next to their church.”
The 41-year-old argued that the “die-hard Catholics” might struggle to acclimatise to their new surroundings, however:
“They’ll need a whole bunch of exorcists to get rid of everything that’s happened in there,” he said.
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