Pope Francis' newly chosen Spanish cardinal, 84-year-old Fernando Sebastian Aguilar apparently has some strong opinions about homosexuality. Unlike the Pope, who has been quite understanding and unbiased to gay people, the cardinal said that homosexuality is a "defect" and that it can be corrected with the right treatment.

"A lot of people complain and don't tolerate it but with all respect I say that homosexuality is a defective way of manifesting sexuality, because that has a structure and a purpose, which is procreation. We have a lot of defects in our bodies. I have high blood pressure. Am I going to get angry because they tell me that? It is a defect I have that I have to correct as far as I can," Sebastian told Malaga newspaper Sur.

"Pointing out a defect to a homosexual is not an offence, it is a help because many cases of homosexuality can be recovered and normalised with adequate treatment. It is not an offence, it is esteem. When someone has a defect, the good friend is the one who tells him."

Instead of appeasing the homosexual communities, the cardinal managed to spark angry comments all around the world.

Gay and lesbian rights group Colegas asked the archbishop to retract his comment.

"We hope that Fernando Sebastian will correct his words and we note that homosexuality is not a curable disease, but homophobia is," it said in a statement.