Boston Catholic newspaper withdraws gay column

The oldest Roman Catholic newspaper in the country has apologized and retracted an opinion column written by a senior official with the organization running the church suggesting the devil may be responsible for same-sex attraction.

The Pilot on Wednesday withdrew Daniel Avila’s column titled “some fundamental questions on same-sex attraction.’’ The Boston archdiocese newspaper says it failed to recognize the theological error before publication.

Avila says in the piece that “the scientific evidence of how same-sex attraction most likely may be created provides a credible basis for a spiritual explanation that indicts the devil.’’