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.")
What is this, exactly?
In what non-absurd sense is that "one teaching authority"?
The obedience of the priests (or lack of it) does not diminish the truth of the teaching. That would be like saying that Jesus' teaching is 'absurd' because Christians are unable (or unwilling) to follow it well. I think Paul refuted a similar argument about the Law in Romans.
Look, I am not arguing the merits of Catholicism. It has stood the test of time. I am just saying that you can't look at a loopy nun or priest and say, "That is Catholicism". That is sloppy reasoning. Knock Catholic doctrine for what it is if you truly understand it. But look at the doctrine first and see if the followers are following. Not at the wayward followers and point to their shortfalls as doctrinal primers about the faith.
You will have a pretty vacant Christianity if you demand all Christ's followers must be perfect. Not to mention the fact that you have just negated the need for Grace.
Take care,
a_r
Is the marriage of two post-menopausal adults sinful in your mind? There's not a chance of producing children. Are they marrying for merely sexually recreational purposes?
Is a young woman whose sexual organs have been damaged due to disease not allowed to marry, due to the fact that that marriage has no chance of producing children?
Are you joking?
Head on over to Georgetown, Boston College, or Notre Dame. You'll get an eye-opening education you won't soon forget.
But wdoes God forgive the unrepentant?
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.....
I don't know about that, but I do remember something about "Spewing thee out of my mouth" when referring to the "lukewarm."
The difference between all those hypothetical possibilities and a homosexual "marriage" is that there is no way such a union will ever have the possibility of producing offspring through a sexual relationship.
This Bishop does not have his own people here,neither I nor anyone else believes that anyone here knows him. I have never heard of a Bishop who brought clergy from his previous diocese and it would not be fair to the diocese that the Bishop left.The Bishop and priests are supposed to be connected (or a direct report)to Jesus Christ and the Triune God,not human beings other than the Pope,the Vicar of Christ.
It would be good if he had some trusted lay employes in the chancery in Wichita,that he could recruit to Phoenix.He needs a Director of Education,(all types),a Director of Liturgy and Worship and a new editor of the diocesan newspaper to begin to reCAtholicize the Church out here while he untangles the web of a couple of nefarious networks amidst the clergy.
Unless he replaces the incumbents with outsiders that he can trust,there is no way to know whether they are undermining him. The diocese is almost exclusively in the hands of members of the group who have haughtily and arrogantly held the reigns in this diocese,led by or leading a cadre of lavender priests. We now have at least 15 to 20 recently ordained priests who are orthodox and very good men. They join probably another 20 that have kept a low profile and moved slowly,keeping a lot of the teaching of the Church intact.There are probably 10 more who have been under orders that will be able to resume holy priesthoods.
So we probably have 50 good priests but the lay power structure joins with the greater number of goofy priests in a formidable blockade to prevent orthodoxy from penetrating the diocese.
You may not agree with me but I am interested in your take on this. The EXbishop showed up at the new Bishop's ordination and there was his moon face in two of the five pictures of the Bishop. His attendance also forced archbishop Sheehan to acknowledge him at the installation ceremony which gave rise to a standing ovation from his minions,it seemed to me to far outdo any applause that the new Bishop reeived. As I explained before the lay leaders are dangerous. I think it would have been so much nobler for the EX to have found he had to attend a baptism or wedding in a faraway town and graciously declined the invite.Anyway I can see the games beginning but this Bishop seems very holy,humble and intelligent. His homily was great and his smile makes my heart happy.
I don't know enough about protocol and canon law to answer your other question.Besides that it seems to be fluxing lately depending on who's calling the shots.One of the vicars said that they,according to protocol, had submitted their resignations. I don't trust any of the vicars to tell the truth so I don't know.
I like Murillo too.
Note also the use of the words "gay" and "lesbian." Those are ideological, political terms, which should not be found on the lips of Catholic pastors.
The dishonesty of this letter is blatant. The dissent from the Church's teaching is cleverly implied, and cleverly concealed just enough that the signatories leave themselves room to weasel out of the charge that they are dissenters.
One thing you will never find weasels like this doing is plainly and simply affirming or denying this proposition: Acts of sodomy are objectively grave matter.
That's the real issue. All the blather about inclusiveness, compassion, etc., is irrelevant. It is an attempt to portray themselves as compassionate, caring, inclusive, etc., and to slander the Church as though anything in Catholic teaching implied that people should be disrespected and insulted.
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