Trouble in the South

South America that is. Let's visit Brazil first on our brief journey south. The Roman Catholic church (in their infinite understanding and flexibility with the changing times) have decided to suspend Father Luiz Couto unless he renounces his views. What do his views include? Well, he defends the use of contraception, equal rights for homosexuals, as well as his opposition to celibacy for priests. Scandalous, right? A left-wing priest who keeps an open-mind is a thing the Catholic church refuses to endorse or even allow. As the times have changed, so should the Church evolve with them. The Roman Catholic church has refused to update many of its doctrines and scriptures, but who am I to judge?

The next and final stop is Argentina (short trip, I know). Argentina has put an end to the persecution of homosexuals (and homosexual acts) in the military. You may take this lightly, but the penalty for being convicted of committing a homosexual act in the military was death. Yeah, it was that serious. Now, the government (and by extension, the people) are trying harder to take control of their military, which, as of late, has become more powerful. Instead of appearing in front of a military tribunal when being charged with a crime, the Argentinian government feels that its citizens (including those in the military) have a right to be tried in a civilian court. This, to me, sounds like a better option than appearing in front of any military tribunal. Just the word 'tribunal' sounds deadly.