A Canadian priest has made homophobic remarks, claiming the Pride flag was invented by Satan.

Rev. Jerome Lavigne, the vicar for education at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary, made the anti-LGBTI comments during a sermon. He also said that the flag represents ‘lawlessness’ and a ‘break from the natural order’.

Critics, including a teacher from Calgary Catholic school district, are calling for apologies from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary and the city’s Catholic school board.

The sermon implies Satan created the Pride flag

‘Globally, that symbol serves to represent, to promote, to promulgate, to defend at all costs lawlessness,’ Lavigne said during a sermon given in February this year and only recently resurfaced.

‘Who’s the master behind all of this? His name is Satan.’

In a statement released on 18 December, Calgary Bishop William McGrattan did not apologize for Lavigne’s comments.

The church ‘advocates 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,’ the statement read.

Lavigne invited a white nationalist pundit

The Star Calgary reported of a connection between Lavigne and white nationalist Faith Goldy.

In February 2016 — a year and a half before Goldy would appear on a neo-Nazi podcast — Lavigne invited her to Calgary for a panel discussion about sex education in schools.

At the event, Goldy said that being transgender is a ‘mental illness’. The video is no longer available online.

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