[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Charles Martel of the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry said the Catholic Church is promoting a "culture of fear."

Actually, Chuck, it's a culture of truth.

"(Church leaders) should be doing everything possible to encourage relationships," he said. "They are so focused on sex that they cannot see beyond that."

The Church encourages licit, moral relationships.

Martel, a psychotherapist, said the effect of such remarks, especially on gay young people, could be "very damaging . . . how do they practice their faith when they get that message?" he added.

Psychotherapist?! I knew that was coming. They should practice their faith the same way heterosexuals are supposed to. Avoid the occasion of sin and save sexual relations for a heterosexual marriage ordained by God. If they don't like it, they can leave and practice a faith that rejects Scripture. There are plenty of them out there, Chuck, just pick one.

Chuck Provancher, president of Dignity/Boston, an organization of gay Catholics, called Law's remarks "unfortunate."

Chuck considers the remarks unfortunate because he didn't get a green light to engage in sodomy, fisting, water sports, etc. all under the guise of "love."

"It seems to me the Catholic church should be celebrating the love of two people," Provancher said. "Now the cardinal is saying that somehow that is wrong?"

Somebody must be spiking your kool-aid, Chuck. You must have skipped that part of Scripture that talks about Sodom and Gomorrah.

[maryz]

LOL -- I was hoping someone would do that!

One other thing I might have commented on, though:

"(Church leaders) should be doing everything possible to encourage relationships," he said. "They are so focused on sex that they cannot see beyond that."

I have the impression that it's not the Church leaders who are "so focused on sex that they cannot see beyond that."

[livius]

Too true, SMEDLYBUTLER!

I was surprised that Law said the things he did. Maybe he's actually made a decision in his life, as a result of the horrible things that have happened.

I lived in NY during much of Law's reign in Boston, and I must say that while he was technically conservative and aligned with Cardinal O'Connor, I never thought he was very enthusiastic about it. His pro-life statements were often a bit on the ambiguous side, for one thing.

However, both he and O'Connor seemed in many ways to skate away from some of the real problems in their dioceses , although O'Connor did attack the problem of gays in the seminary. O'Connor (who was a wonderful person, and probably a saint, I suspect) is now with Our Lord, but Law still has time to consider his episcopal performance. Perhaps he's seeing it all differently now?

I thought he should resign. But if he repents of his lapses and changes, that would be a thousand times more powerful.

[Antoninus]

"(Church leaders) should be doing everything possible to encourage relationships," he said. "They are so focused on sex that they cannot see beyond that."

Now if that isn't a case of the pot calling the kettle black, I don't know what is. I suppose activist individuals with SSAD aren't focused on sex at all, eh?

[Antoninus]

Somebody must be spiking your kool-aid, Chuck. You must have skipped that part of Scripture that talks about Sodom and Gomorrah.

Yes, but don't you know that liberal Catholics/Christians now interpret the "sin of Sodom" as a lack of hospitality of the Sodomites toward the angels visiting Lot? God thinks buggery is fine, don't you know!