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The Dan Brown Obsession Of Pope Benedict’s Right-Hand Man

Worldcrunch

FAMIGLIA CRISTIANA, CORRIERE DELLA SERA (Italy)

VATICAN CITY – If ever "Da Vinci Code" author Dan Brown feels forgotten, if he ever needs a surprise shot of P.R....he knows he can always count on Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.

The Vatican's Secretary of State, effectively the No. 2 man in the Catholic Church hierarchy, dusted off the author of the oh-so-last-decade thriller as he responded to an ongoing Holy See scandal of leaked documents and palace intrigue.

Breaking his silence this week, the powerful Cardinal gave an interview with Italian weekly Famiglia Cristiana, in which he defended Pope Benedict XVI and waved off the supposed power struggles inside the Roman Curia as a case of too many journalists who "like to pretend they are Dan Brown."

A layman who worked as the Pope's personal butler has been arrested, accused of having leaked reams of confidential documents. The Pope has assigned a special investigative commission of three senior Cardinals to delve into the matter. Most Vatican insiders believe that the leaks are part of a plot to discredit Bertone and force his resignation.

But the ready-for-prime-time Dan Brown citation is not the first time Bertone has singled out the American author for special attention. Back in 2006, while serving as Archbishop of Genoa, Bertone declared that the then new film adaption of Da Vinci Code should be boycotted for its anti-Christian storyline.

Some may heed the clerical warnings, but any P.R. expert will tell you, the Cardinal offers the best mass marketing Brown could never buy.

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LGBTQ Plus

My Wife, My Boyfriend — And Grandkids: A Careful Coming Out For China's Gay Seniors

A series of interviews in Wuhan with aging gay men — all currently or formerly married to women — reveals a hidden story of how Chinese LGBTQ culture is gradually emerging from the shadows.

Image of two senior men playing chinese Checkers.

A friendly game of Checkers in Dongcheng, Beijing, China.

Wang Er

WUHAN — " What do you think of that guy sitting there, across from us? He's good looking."

" Then you should go and talk to him."

“ Too bad that I am old..."

Grandpa Shen was born in 1933. He says that for the past 40 years, he's been "repackaged," a Chinese expression for having come out as gay. Before his wife died when he was 50, Grandpa Shen says he was was a "standard" straight Chinese man. After serving in the army, he began working in a factory, and dated many women and evenutually got married.

"Becoming gay is nothing special, I found it very natural." Grandpa Shen says he discovered his homosexuality at the Martyrs' Square in Wuhan, a well-known gay men's gathering place.

✉️ You can receive our LGBTQ+ International roundup every week directly in your inbox. Subscribe here.

Wuhan used to have different such ways for LGBTQ+ to meet: newspaper columns, riversides, public toilets, bridges and baths to name but a few. With urbanization, many of these locations have disappeared. The transformation of Martyrs' Square into a park has gradually become a place frequented by middle-aged and older gay people in Wuhan, where they play cards and chat and make friends. There are also "comrades" (Chinese slang for gay) from outside the city who come to visit.

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