Fernando Cardinal Sebastian, one of the new cardinals recently appointed by Pope Francis, has declared homosexuality to be a “defect” that can be cured with “proper treatment.”

Fernando Sebastian, 84, who takes up office in the Vatican in February, also compared the sexual orientation to his own high blood pressure.

“Homosexuality is a defective manner of expressing sexuality, because this has a structure and a purpose, which is procreation,” he said in an interview to Diario Sur.

“A homosexual who can’t achieve this (procreation) is failing,” he added, before saying: “Our bodies have many defects. I have high blood pressure.”

Sebastian said it was “a defect I have to try and correct in whatever way I can.”

According to him, “To say that homosexuality is a defect is not an insult: it helps because in many cases of homosexuality it is possible to recover and become normal with the right treatment.”

The cardinal’s comments have, however, angered gay rights groups in Spain, with several commentators claiming that it contradicted Pope Francis’ position expressed last year expressing compassion for homosexuals. LGBT campaigners Ojala said his words were “medieval” and “out of place in this time.”

But Sebastian, who lives in the Costa del Sol city of Malaga, remained defiant and stood by his views.

“The Pope is very respectful and holds all people in high esteem, but he doesn’t betray or change the traditional teaching of the church,” Sebastian added to the newspaper.

He claimed it was “one thing” to be compassionate towards homosexuals “and another thing to morally justify the practice of that homosexuality.”

“You can tell a person what their weakness is, but that doesn’t justify a decision to respect them and help them,” he added.

•Photo shows Cardinal Sebastian.