Dominican Cardinal to Gay Ambassador: You're a Wife, So Go Do Housework

Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez (right) and U.S. Ambassador James Wally Brewster

That's Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez's response to U.S. Ambassador James Brewster's critique of corruption in the island nation.

Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.

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Trudy Ring

December 02 2015 3:51 PM EST

December 03 2015 7:21 AM EST

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A Roman Catholic official in the Dominican Republic says the U.S. ambassador to the nation, who is gay, should "focus on housework, since he's the wife to a man."

Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez, archbishop of Santo Domingo, the nation's capital and largest city, made the comment to reporters Tuesday night, the Associated Press reports. It came in response to Ambassador James "Wally" Brewster's recent statements accusing Dominican officials of widespread corruption. Brewster also said police threatened and attacked U.S. financiers who were attending a conference in the Caribbean country.

"That man needs to go back to his embassy," Lopez said of Brewster, according to the AP. "Let him focus on housework, since he's the wife to a man." The cardinal also said Brewster was promoting a so-called gay agenda.

This is not the first time Lopez has made homophobic statements about Brewster, who became ambassador to the Dominican Republic two years ago. When President Obama announced Brewster's nomination, Lopez objected and referred to Brewster as a "maricon," the equivalent of "f****t." Other Catholic officials said that appointing him ambassador showed a lack of respect for the values of the predominantly Catholic nation. Despite protests by antigay groups, the U.S. Senate confirmed Brewster's nomination unanimously.