Posted on 08/06/2003 8:33:54 AM PDT by Loyalist
fOTTAWA -- A Catholic priest was called a Judas and urged to defrock yesterday after he wrote a scathing open letter that condemned the Vatican's campaign against the legalization of same-sex marriage.
Rev. Raymond Gravel said he received a lot of public support for his controversial views, but that he faced heat from a minority of churchgoers. He said he now expects a reprimand from his superior for breaking with the church's official position, enunciated last week.
In a letter published in Montreal's La Presse, Father Gravel said the Vatican's position against same-sex marriage is "discriminatory, hurtful and offensive . . . for everyone who works to promote human rights and to re-establish justice and equality."
He attacked the church's hierarchy as outmoded and sick, saying that today's world needs "words of hope rather than a verdict of condemnation."
Speaking of the Vatican's denunciation of rape victims in Bosnia who were getting abortions, Father Gravel asked: "How can this church still speak in the name of God?"
In an interview, the 50-year-old priest explained that he has grown tired of the Catholic Church's hypocritical position on matters related to sexuality, such as homosexuality, abortion and the marriage of priests.
"Every time the church speaks out on an issue, it's always to condemn. I can't stand it any more," he said. "We're trying to build things with people, and the hierarchy demolishes everything."
Father Gravel said the Vatican is wrong to say that homosexuality is a deviance.
"Everyone knows that sexual deviations are not exclusively related to gays, but to everyone who has to live his or her sexuality clandestinely. In this matter, the clergy has become masterful, as numerous priests frequent parks, saunas and public washrooms to let off steam," he said in his letter.
Father Gravel is a priest in the parish of Saint-Joachim-de-La Plaine, northeast of Montreal. He is also chaplain for the Laval police force.
He said that like a number of priests, he is trying to promote tolerance in his community. He said he is fully supportive of the Catholic Church's positions on poverty and against the war in Iraq, but that he believes the Vatican's views on issues of sexuality need to be modernized.
"For the church, the only way to live one's sexuality is within marriage in a bid to have children," he said. "It's time to rethink that vision. Sexuality is not only about having children, it's about showing love and tenderness. We are all sexual beings."
He said his open letter prompted a flood of calls to his church yesterday, with a majority in support of his views.
"There is a minority, and unfortunately it's good practising Catholics, who have gone as far as insults, saying I'm a false priest, I should defrock, I'm Judas in the heart of the church," he said.
He said his letter will likely hurt his career. He said he knows lots of priests in Quebec who share his views, but that they are afraid to speak out.
"I will receive a reprimand from my bishop, I'm pretty sure," Father Gravel said.
Bishop Gilles Lussier, who oversees the diocese of Joliette, could not be reached for comment.
The Vatican issued an edict last week calling on Catholic politicians to oppose same-sex marriage legislation. Calgary Bishop Fred Henry created a stir when he said that Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, who is Catholic, would put his "eternal salvation" at risk if he sanctioned same-sex marriage.
The Roman Catholic Church, which represents Canada's largest religious community of 13 million people, has been the most outspoken against same-sex marriage.
But draft federal legislation to legalize same-sex marriage is mobilizing many religious groups, even if no church would be forced to marry gays or lesbians.
Muslims, Sikhs, and evangelical Christians are encouraging their followers to lobby MPs against any changes to the traditional definition of marriage. Jewish rabbis are divided on the issue as are Anglican Church leaders. The United Church supports same-sex marriage.
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, which represents three million evangelical Christians, is urging its members to petition, and even pray for, MPs. Its Web site asks Christians to organize vigils and pray for their elected representative of Parliament.
"As evangelical Christians, we believe in the power of prayer," said Cecilia Wu, a spokeswoman for the EFN. "We're praying for everybody and we're praying for those who are in the fight to preserve marriage."
IMO, this priest represents the majority of Catholics. Last night I was listening to a call in radio show and the topic was about the elevation of the Anglican gay bishop. The vast majority of the callers supported the move. To me, the percentage breakdown of the yeas and neas in yesterday's vote pretty much represent the outside opinion on this issue.
Most Catholics I know see the Church as a "rule-maker" and intolerant of natural human behavior. And most Catholics I know have been educated in Catholic high schools and/or colleges.
This is the core of the issue here. Fr. Gavel is of course wrong, not only because of some arbitrary Vatican rule, but because the Natural Law proves this statement to be a lie. The purpose of sex is procreation. The fact that it has other benefits does not change this essential fact. Intentionally non-procreative sexual acts violate the natural law.
Heterosexuals are just as guilty of this as homosexuals. It is becoming impossible to argue against homosexual violations of natural law without being willing to address the larger question, which would include condemning contraception, pre-marital sex, and lots of other activities I'd rather not name in detail. The fact that we have virtually abandoned sexual morality among heterosexuals has lead directly to the current homosexual issues now.
You have no idea how difficult it is living here to be an orthodox Catholic and also a conservative in political matters! My brother lives in Georgia and is up here on vaca at the moment. He notices a huge difference in the newspapers and on the news... usually only the liberal side of everything is in the media and the "other side" just doesn't exist or at least is presented as being so far-fetched it isn't even worth listening or reading about. "We told you all you need to know, dontcha know."
Anyhow, I suspect being an orthodox Catholic is not easy no matter where you live. We are definitely in the minority!
This is the whole thing, really. We've been compromised by our own selves and therefore, knowing this in our hearts, find it impossible to speak out on moral matters regarding the behaviour of others. What's missing is the understanding of repentance and conversion. There is some correlation, I think, in the bishops/priests behaviour regarding the scandal?
I see this alot also, alas they suffer from the sin of pride - the "you can't tell me what to do" mentality. Truly discouraging is their stupidity!
Yep, time to re-imagine God - making him into our own image. Gad...the spirit of anti-Christ abounds.
Sex within marriage is for more than to just have children.
In other words, the way that many heterosexuals "do"sex is pretty much the way that homosexuals do, although I think that many straights really don't know how kinky gay sex can be. They are not helped along by the portraits they see in movies and TV, which makes gays almost asexual or clownish in their behavior
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