Posted on 12/23/2003 6:45:44 AM PST by karlmaurer
Pro-Gay Catholic Priests in Chicago Send an Open Letter Ripping the "Vile and Toxic" Rhetoric of the Vatican, and are Invited to "Talk" to Card. George 12/22/2003 9:56:00 PM
By SHAMUS TOOMEY - Sun Times
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.")
Does anyone consider this vile and toxic language invitational?
I consider it vile and toxic. Welcome to the 'new', 'improved' American Catholic Church. Not truly Roman Catholic anymore. Eager to take full advantage of the Pope's current physical weakness. And twist teachings of the Church and the Bible to meet their needs. And the sheep who go along with them. How vomitous. The parishioners of those parishes and our whole church need our prayers and have mine.
There is such a power play in the Vatican now between those loyal to Pope John Paul II and those wishing to hijack the papal authority for their own ends.
There are those who speak of a lavender mafia infiltrating our seminaries and and those who deny it as speculation and conspiracy theory. This is a large number of gay, so-called priests concentrated in an area with their own agenda. Nah, nothing to see here, move along.
What is with these open letters? The Church's position on homosexuality is well known and Rome's emphasizing it's traditional teachings is consistent with it's historic role in the world.
What is novel and scandalous are these open letters which could lead the faithful into thinking that it is acceptable to disagree with Church doctrine. The bishops should address that issue immediately.
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."
The Curial bureaucrats who issue documents don't work with people, on a daily bais. In fact, they don't work with people at all, just fellow bureaucrats.
So Cardinal George is right. The Church must first be respectful of human beings or it will never get the chance to bring Christ's grace to them.
Be like Christ, who welcomed sinners even as He told them not to sin.
Pray for their conversion.
Have they singled out those portions of the Bible that also speak of homosexual acts. Will they be rewriting their own bible that leaves out this 'disordered' language? Or just passing it off as hate literature, like Canada?
Cardinal George is attempting to. His well-measured response to this letter shows respect.
"The faithful" are much more in touch with proper responses to homosexuality than the Church bureaucracy is.
Maybe I missed it, but can you point to something in the letter that demonstrates the willingness of these priests to lead these people out of their intrinsically sinful lifestyle? There are many references to openness and dialogue but I can’t find anything that might make me think that this openness and dialogue is aimed at lifting gays out of their sin.
One step at a time.
This is a really good point. I was recently invited into a local chapter of the Legion of Mary in DC, and when the person who invited me mentioned how we should reach out to homosexuals, in an attempt to get them to repent of their sinful lifestyle, the priest who is our "spiritual director" told us not to do this, for he didn't want us to give the impression that we were "anti-homosexual" (We probably have parishoners who come in from the infamous Dupont Circle area). When the gentleman (who is originally from Korea) persisted, the priest told us to drop the subject. As the old saying go, the path to hell is paved with good intentions.
I don't think many, if any of these people, have any desire to condemn anyone's sinful lifestyles, especially homosexual ones. We have to be tolerant, you know? (sarcasm)
I think that's the problem, none of these people seem willing to take the next step. It's not like this situation surfaced last week or even last year. These priests have known that some of their flock are practicing homosexuals and it appears that some of these priests are themselves homosexuals (I don't know if the honor their vow of celibacy or not). The overwhelming silence on what the next step is or even what that should be gives tacit approval of the gay life style. Also, by attacking the language of the Holy See, they are attempting to usurp the language of the debate. And as you know once you control the language of debate the debate is effectively over.
Ever go to a "party" only to find out the reason you were invited was actually to hear a multi-level-marketing pitch? Were you angry?
If the only reason you'd invite gays to your parish was to tell them how rotten they are, why on earth do you think they'd show up?
No, I recognize that Christ never helped anyone change by condemning them. Do you find it interesting that the only people Christ reserved his anger for were hypocrites, who recognized everyone else's sin before they recognized their own?
If the only reason you'd engage a gay person is to condemn them, why would they listen to you?
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