Posted on 12/23/2003 8:18:05 AM PST by marshmallow
Saying they can no longer remain silent, a group of Chicago area Catholic pastors denounced what they say is "vile and toxic" language from the Vatican aimed at gays and lesbians.
The group of nearly two dozen priests from parishes in Chicago and the suburbs sent a scathing "open letter" to church officials Friday. In it, the pastors blasted recent church pronouncements regarding gays as "divisive and exclusionary" and "increasingly violent and abusive."
"As priests and pastors we are speaking out to make clear that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters are all members of God's family, brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus and deserving of the same dignity and respect owed any human being," the letter stated.
The group singled out Vatican documents that use language referring to homosexual acts and gay marriage as "intrinsically disordered," "a troubling moral and social phenomenon" and "harmful to the proper development of society." Such language is driving gays from the church, the pastors said.
Cardinal Francis George received a copy of the letter Friday and issued what he acknowledged was a rare response.
"The church speaks, in moral and doctrinal issues, a philosophical and theological language in a society that understands, at best, only psychological and political terms," George wrote in a letter to the pastors.
"Our language is exact, but it does not help us in welcoming men and women of homosexual orientation," he wrote. "It can seem lacking in respect. This is a pastoral problem and a source of anxiety for me as it is for you. It would be good to discuss together."
But George went on to say that pastors must "mediate the tension between welcoming people and calling them to change."
If "you cannot resolve that tension between welcoming people as they are and still calling them to leave their sinfulness and become saints, or if you yourself do not accept the Church's moral teaching on the moral use of the gift of sexuality, it would be all the more important for us to talk," he wrote.
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The Open Letter is as follows:
PRESS RELEASE:
Catholic Pastors to Bishops: Treat Gays and Lesbians More Pastorally, Berwyn, Illinois, Friday, December 19, 2003.
23 Roman Catholic pastors today released, "An Open Letter to the Hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church Regarding the Pastoral Care of Gay and Lesbian Persons".
Concerned over the increasingly violent and abusive language used by certain Church officials when addressing issues pertaining to homosexuals, the signers of the Open Letter call on all bishops to treat gays and lesbians with greater pastoral sensitivity. Rooted in gospel justice which demands equal respect for each human person, the letter asks the bishops to enter into earnest dialogue with gay and lesbian Catholics instead of talking at them.
The signers invite all who agree with the Open Letter to uplicate it, sign it and send it to their pastor, bishop, Bishop¹s Conference or the Vatican. One of the signers, Rev. Richard J. Prendergast, pastor of St. Mary of Celle parish in Berwyn, said, "Especially at this time of the year, the Church family needs to model welcoming and sensitive behavior towards all family members. Too many families with gay and lesbian sons and daughters have been torn apart. As members of the Church our primary concern has to be strengthening family ties, not creating greater distance between members. Although the tone of public discourse by many politicians and in many television and radio shows has become harsh and intolerant, we must take every step possible to contain that intolerance and hatred and keep it from polluting our homes and our hearts."
Full text of Open Letter can be downloaded at: www.stmaryofcelle.org
Full text of Open Letter follows:
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE HIERARCHY OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH REGARDING THE PASTORAL CARE OF GAY AND LESBIAN PERSONS
As Catholic pastors, we have become increasingly disturbed by the tone and, in some cases, content of documents and statements from the Vatican, bishops¹ conferences and individual bishops on issues categorized under the heading of "homosexual" or "gay/lesbian." We respect the teaching authority of the Church. Because of this, we find particularly troubling the increase in the use of violent and abusive language directed at any human person. Such language is inappropriate. This is especially so when addressing members of the community of the faithful.
These divisive and exclusionary statements from the Church are contrary to sound pastoral practice.
The life journey in faith is unique and sacred, including the personal integration of sexuality and spirituality. Condemnations leveled at sincere Catholics attempting to make sense out of their journey are inappropriate and pastorally destructive.
As priests and pastors we are speaking out to make clear that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters are all members of God¹s family, brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus and deserving of the same dignity and respect owed any human being. Recognition of the inalienable dignity of the human person is the only path toward justice and reconciliation. We affirm the goodness of all homosexual persons. We root ourselves in the U.S. Bishops¹ statement "Always Our Children." Additionally, we re-affirm the understanding of the goodness of the human person as put forth throughout the papacy of Pope John Paul II. Further, we want to state clearly that ministering to and with our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters is mutually beneficial, as is all ministerial activity. Pre-judging where any believer¹s journey will take them is inappropriate. Walking with them, as we do with our heterosexual brothers and sisters, is the appropriate Christian response.
In the recent past, individual bishops, bishops¹ conferences and the Vatican have assumed a tone of such violence and abusiveness toward these sons and daughters of the Church, we can no longer remain silent. Has any other group of people within the Body of Christ been so assaulted and violated by such mean-spirited language? Examples from the most recent Vatican document show all too clearly the demonization of these children of God, referring to homosexuality as a "troubling moral and social phenomenon," "a serious depravity," "the spread of the phenomenon," "approval or legalization of evil," "grave detriment to the common good," "harmful to the proper development of human society," "intrinsically disordered."
Does anyone consider this vile and toxic language invitational?
For many gay and lesbian Catholics, this most recent series of attacks has forced them, out of self-respect and self-love, to withdraw from active participation in the Church and question how they can remain members of a Church they experience as abusive. It is not possible to minister to and with the needs of our homosexual brothers and sisters with language of his tone as a foundation.
The Catholic Church is most catholic when it is inclusive and embracing, and least reflective of the gospel of Jesus when it is exclusive and rigid. For this reason, we also want to affirm the many pastoral and positive statements by certain bishops and bishops¹ conferences (e.g. "Always Our Children").
The Church¹s theology, including her moral teaching, is always in dialogue with the broader lived experience of her members, which shapes and rearticulates the ancient deposit of faith. We encourage a new atmosphere of openness to dialogue which includes the lived experience of many Catholic members. We recognize the blessings of countless homosexuals in a variety of relationships. We believe their experiences must be listened to respectfully.
While we do not know the reasons for the increasingly violent and abusive language, we deplore it as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ and ask that it stop immediately. Furthermore, we request that all those in official positions of teaching authority in the Church refrain from any more statements directed AT the gay and lesbian members of the Body of Christ, and instead begin an earnest dialogue WITH those same members of the Body of Christ.
For our part, we pledge to treat all who seek to continue their faith journey with us with respect and dignity, regardless of their sexual orientation.
We join the countless men and women, heterosexual and homosexual, who seek justice, mercy and compassion in and through the Catholic Church.
We extend an invitation all who share our concern to duplicate this letter, sign it, and send it to their pastor, local bishop, National Bishop¹s Conference or the Vatican.
(Parish names are listed for identification purposes only.)
Rev. David Baldwin
St. Benedict the African-East
Chicago, IL
Rev. Daniel Cassidy
St. Mark
Chicago, IL
Rev. Dennis Condon
St. Marcelline
Schaumburg, IL
Rev. Lloyd Cunningham, S.V.D.
Catholic Theological Union
Chicago, IL
Rev. Nicholas Desmond
St. Aloysius
Chicago, IL
Rev. Brian Fischer
St. Gregory the Great
Chicago, IL
Rev. Donald Headley
St. Mary of the Woods
Chicago, IL
Rev. Robert P. Heinz
St. Alphonsus Liguori
Prospect Heights, IL
Rev. Michael Herman
St. Sylvester
Chicago, IL
Rev. Thomas Hickey
St. Clement
Chicago, IL
Rev. John Hoffman
St. Teresa of Avila
Chicago, IL
Rev. Richard Homa
Sacred Heart
Palos Hills, IL
Rev. Terry Johnson
St. Francis Xavier
LaGrange, IL
Rev. Patrick Lee
Immaculate Conception
Chicago, IL
Rev. Robert McLaughlin
Mary Seat of Wisdom
Park Ridge, IL
Rev. Dennis O¹Neill
St. Martha
Morton Grove, IL
Rev. Thomas Pelton
Maternity BVM
Chicago, IL
Rev. Richard Prendergast
St. Mary of Celle
Berwyn, IL
Rev. Michael Shanahan
St. Mark
Chicago, IL
Rev. William J. Stenzel
St. Francis Xavier
LaGrange, IL
Rev. Patrick Tucker
St. Bernardine
Forest Park, IL
Rev. Daniel Whiteside
St. Catherine of Siena/St. Lucy
Oak Park, IL
Rev. Bart Winters
St. Gregory the Great
Chicago, IL
(CCI NOTES: Several of the pastors on this list are known to be homosexuals themselves. It's hard to determine whether their impudent letter is more offensive, or the fact that as known homosexuals they are allowed to continue in their parishes impersonating "priests.")
If he floats, he's a faggot, so hang him?
IMHO, the Pope is the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church. His call, like it or lump it, is what it is.
The priests have a point, in that the Gays/Lesbians (as any sinner) are in need of counsel, prayers, and the grace necessary to overcome sin; that to cut sinners off from the church leaves you preaching to the choir.
But providing pastoral care should never mean tolerance for or acceptance of the sin, just sinners.
Your standards are too low.
Simple. If he is not a Christian he may visit but not be a member. If he professes to be a Christian the only concern would be that he holds some wierd heresy. In 1 cor a man's faith was not in question but his sleeping with his father's wife required that he be kicked out of church...until he quit and repented. Any other sin that is worthy of a death penalty in the OT should probably be considered throw out of church material.
My issue is not so much with the fact that non Christians will be in Christian churches and even members of those denominations. It is with the RC's who actually believe that all RC's are unified and believe nearly the same things. Nothing could be further from the church. It's not a statement that I'd make and I hate it when RC's are so ignorant as to make it about themselves.
Regarding large churches. I fear that many large churches are large because they don't every say anything that would offend anyone. If a Church is really preaching a pure gospel, it will tend to be self purifying. Heathens won't sit for that sort of thing very long.
You nonCatholics at least have the integrity to separate and call yourselves by other names. These little "c"atholics" do not.
Bless you and your many denominations for the courage of your convictions. I do not agree with your "convictions" but I have much more respect for you and others,that acknowledge divergence than those little "c"atholics who are pretenders,imposters,deceivers,liars and ignorant and/or evil.
So you want to go after a guy because of opinions he holds privately, and temptations he didn't ask for? (If he's acting out on those temptations, that's an entirely different question.)
Why do you pick on homosexual sin in particular? Shouldn't we equally pick on priests who can't bring themselves to condemn contraception, think secretly that contraception is okay, think that the church is wrong about contraception, and just shut up because the bishop made them back off?
Your standards are too low.
I find it's very easy to set high standards for other people, and very hard to set high standards for myself -- and actually meet them. Confession has a remarkably humbling effect. You ought to try it.
He had to resign his position as bishop of Phoenix last June. He will be coming up for a trial in January.He was charged with " fatal hit and run,and leaving the scene".Many of us out here felt it was Divine Interventon,it seemed clear to many of us he would never resign but would just continue on his lying way,twisting and spinning and protecting his "lavenders".
We have just had a new and holy and intelligent Bishop installed,we just hope that he is not sandbagged and waylaid by the chancery emplyees and some of the homosexual priests out here.Prayer is our best weapon,we hope to surround him with prayer.
Correct! The inclusive, coddling, alternative lifestyle accepting approach of the past has failed miserably and has probably lost many, many souls. It is the precarious nature of our souls that is at stake. It is the Churches responsibility to preserve and pass on to us the truth of Christ and to do so in a clear and competent manner. The non-message on the homosexual lifestyle that has dominated the recent history of the Church has failed. It's time to change tactics and start rescuing people form sin; you don’t do that by telling them that their lifestyle is a "valid life choice". That, Sinkspur, is hate speech in the most basic sense of the concept.
Every bishop spends some time cleaning up the messes of his predecessor. George has had plenty of time, and so far he has failed to turn things around in Chicago, including the homosexual culture. If you live in the Chicago diocese you can forget about meaningful reform. If George was going to do it, it would have been well underway by now.
He was pretty bad all right. But I think that the ringleader of the whole left-wing coalition was Hallinan of Atlanta.
Conceptually you're not too far off, but historically the post-conciliar Church was already down for the count and the seminaries were systematically excluding orthodox heterosexual candidates long before Bernadin dreamed up the "Seamless Garment," noxious as that particular policy may have been.
how do you determine if they're gay?...strip them down and show them male pornagraphy and see what happens?
you are very arrogant.....
one thing that you don't seem to know...and that is....YOU are not God....
God hates evil, but he also forgives, but everything in Scripture shows us that what makes God the Father the angriest is when we humans judge others as if we were God.....
We're not talking about going after a "guy" for his temptations; we're talking about the RC clergy, who of course are allowed to have "temptaions', but we are not talking about his temptations -- we are talking about his own attitude to his temptations. HE WOULDN'T EVEN REGARD IT AS A TEMPTATION EXCEPT AS IT TOUCHES ON HIS CELIBACY -- and if he can harbor a private disagreement on homosexuality today, celibacy will be next.
And further, what right does a RC priest have to disagree with the church, in private? Even in conservative protestant circles we expect the clergy to have the integrity to withdraw if they have private disagreements with denominational positions.
Again, you bring back the original question: if he doesn't agree with the church on important moral questions, WHY IS HE EVEN IN THE PRIESTHOOD? You seem to think it is o.k. to just put a little pressure on those who speak put, make them shut up, and as for the rest, well, we are all sinners. An amazingly low standard of personal holiness.
Your concern seems to be external compliance only. It's like even the devout in the RC (I mean you and others like you) have no hope that their own clergy could actually be heartfelt devotees of RC doctrine and morals. It's like things are so far gone...
I'm glad you feel confession is good. I see no evidence that "confession", as your church practices it, makes better christians.
I focused on homosexuality because it is the subject of the thread. If the thread were about contraception, I'd say the same sort of things.
I don't mean to be pounding on you personally, especially when you are sick. You just keep answering me! :-)
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