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.")
It's a very selective "truth," one which sees all the fault in the world in the object of one's hatred.
And anti-Semitic bigots, like anti-Catholic ones, have their own set of supposed "truths" to point to.
People are bigots because they feel more comfortable that way. It gives them someone to blame for their own inadequacies and failures, and for the inadequacies and failures of groups with whom they identify. And it relieves them of the obligation to actually think, and grow up, and deal with a complex world like an intelligent adult.
They'll never, ever, ever solve that one. They just want to please everybody.
Eliminate priests.
Have the Pope tell the whole globe
that all Christians are
servants of Jesus,
and that the whole notion of
some Christians being
on Heaven's fast-track
was dubious from the start.
Problem goes away...
"The Inquisition" is a misnomer, there were several Inquisitions. Some used force, and some didn't. The term inquisitio simply means a particular kind of (Roman) investigative legal procedure. The concept and the name came into English common law as the "inquest".
ArrogantBustard is not being dense at all. He's trying to get people who habitually complain about Rome's "tyranny" out of one side of their mouth, and her "laxity" out of the other, to see the contradictory nature of their position(s).
If they "can seem", then they "do seem." And George recognizes this as a pastoral problem.
The Cardinal calls for respect too. Perhaps you should ask him.
The Cardinal calls for respect too. Perhaps you should ask him.
The word "priest" comes from the Greek "presbyter," meaning "elder". The office of elder is mentioned in the NT, and has existed in the Church from the earliest times. The Pope can no more "eliminate priests" than he can eliminate Jesus.
The idea that priests are "on Heaven's fast-track" is not Catholic teaching. Scripture says that teachers are judged more severely. Does that sound like being "on Heaven's fast-track" to you?
Do you really mean Teddy, or do you have material for a book here? ;-)
Nope, it was JFK. My Grandfather was a staunch (R), and worked for the IRS in the 50's to 70's.
He dug and found that JFK was trashed at a party and got married to a local chippie. Papa Pro-Hitler Joe got Cushing to have the marriage annulled and sealed!
There are books already on the subject, but the proof is either in the diocese in Boston, The Vatican, or at the bottom of Boston Harbor.
That is not a trivial difference.
He also strongly implied that the priests who are behind this open letter need to reexamine their own fidelity to the Church's teaching.
Thank you -- very enlightening. A couple of them are near me, but I go only to parishes/shrines whose priests I know are loyal to the Church.
Yes I agree. There are a few more basics that are needed but the things I mention are not supposed to be make or break issues.
The Cardinal is attempting to elucidate the nature of the priests' complaint. He puts forward essentially two possibilities. The first is to do with the pastoral problem of dealing with homosexuals. He acknowledges this as a legitimate and serious concern. He would like to talk with them, if this is indeed their concern. He does not state that this is their concern. Rather he hopes it is.
Possibility #2, is that the priests have a fundamental problem with Church doctrine. Specifically, they may reject the concept that sodomy is sinful. He regards this as extremely serious and even more requiring of a talk.
I think most people on this thread, including me, believe that #2 is the real source of the priests' anger. That thought is also in the Cardinal's mind.
Do you disagree?
Not really. You either believe in the doctrine of the Church, or you don't. So that makes only two types of Catholics: believers and non-believers.
I take your etymology lesson; I'm sure it's an important point in an actual discussion of earlier times.
This appears to be a letter from this century, from a couple dozen RC priests in one city. So let's cut through the fog. When the church can't remove a priest who works against her declared positions, she is at the least LAX.
The further question is why is she so lax? To an outsider, it looks like simple cowardice.
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