Posted on 03/29/2010 2:17:12 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
A Roman Catholic archbishop who resigned in 2002 over a sex and financial scandal involving a man has written a memoir that describes how he struggled with being gay.
Archbishop Rembert Weakland, former head of the Milwaukee archdiocese, "is up front about his homosexuality in a church that preferred to ignore gays," Publisher's Weekly wrote in a review Monday.
The book, "A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church: Memoirs of a Catholic Archbishop," is set to be released in June and is described by the publisher as a self-examination by Weakland of his "psychological, spiritual and sexual growth."
The Vatican says that men with "deep-seated" attraction to other men should not be ordained.
Weakland stepped down quickly after Paul Marcoux, a former Marquette University theology student, revealed in May 2002 that he was paid $450,000 to settle a sexual assault claim he made against the archbishop more than two decades earlier. The money came from the archdiocese.
Marcoux went public at the height of anger over the clergy sex abuse crisis, when Catholics and others were demanding that dioceses reveal the extent of molestation by clergy and how much had been confidentially spent to settle claims.
Weakland denied ever assaulting anyone. He apologized for concealing the payment.
In an August 1980 letter that was obtained by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Weakland said he was in emotional turmoil over Marcoux and signed the letter, "I love you."
"During the last months, I have come to know how strained I was, tense, pensive, without much joy," Weakland wrote. "I felt like the world's worst hypocrite. So gradually I came back to the importance of celibacy in my life."
The revelations rocked the Milwaukee archdiocese, which Weakland had led since 1977. But when he publicly read a letter of apology for the scandal, Milwaukee parishioners gave him a a standing ovation.
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee released a public statement last week alerting local Catholics that the book is soon to be published and that it deals in part with Weakland's relationship with Marcoux and the scandal.
"Some people will be angry about the book, others will support it," the archdiocese said.
Weakland, who has been a hero for liberal Catholics because of his work on social justice and other issues, will also address in the memoirs his failures to stop abusive priests.
In a videotaped deposition released last November, Weakland admitted returning guilty priests to active ministry without alerting parishioners or police.
Advocates for abuse victims said that Weakland's cover up of his own sexual activity was part of a pattern of secrecy that included concealing the criminal behavior of child molesters.
The archbishop did not respond Monday to an e-mail request for comment. Weakland, a Benedictine, plans to move to St. Mary's Abbey in Morristown, N.J., this summer.
U.S. Catholics have long debated whether the priesthood had become a predominantly gay vocation. Estimates vary from 25 percent to 50 percent, according to a review of research on the issue by the Rev. Donald Cozzens, author of "The Changing Face of the Priesthood."
Cozzens, a former seminary rector, said in an interview that Weakland's acknowledgment of his sexual orientation "cuts into the denial that relatively few priests or bishops are gay."
But Russell Shaw, a former spokesman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, questioned whether the book would have much impact.
"That one controversial archbishop acknowledges what everybody's known for several years," Shaw said, "I don't think that's going to make any big difference."
GOOD ONE!! They were formed by a MURDERER!
Get real.....what religion are YOU?
A clerics sexuality is moot in the Catholic Church.
Sexual perversion however is another thing entirely, psychologically and otherwise.
How many of the bishops involved in the cover-ups were gay?
“Weakland, a Benedictine, plans to move to St. Mary’s Abbey in Morristown, N.J., this summer.”
He is a criminal and belongs in a jail cell. Not only is he a homosexual; but he is a liar, a theif and an imposter. Literally a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
True. There is a lot of variation among individuals regarding sex drive. There are significant numbers of people of both sexes who are essentially asexual. In the past a sizable proportion of people never married: maiden aunts, bachelor uncles, etc.
For a long time this worked pretty well. It gave people with homosexual proclivities an opportunity to be valued members of the community. However, then came the sexual revolution. The love that dared not speak its name became the one that would not shut its mouth.
Why, anti-Catholic, of course.
You must be SO proud.....so what religion are you???? Too embarrassed to tell us???
“It seems blatantly obvious that the Catholic church environment attracts homosexuals and pedophiles into their priesthood.’
The public schools with their teachers aren’t doing so hot in this regard and they can marry all they like.
How many get church sponsored protection?
I was raised Catholic, I am now a Christian but not Catholic due to the problems within the Catholic Church.
Growing up they closed our Catholic High School due to “funding issues” and two years later built a multi-million dollar “community center” for the old fogies to play bingo in. When they went to close the school during a “meeting” a local sucessfull nationwide businessman came up in a meeting laid his checkbook down on the pulpit and asked what amount he could write a check for to keep the school open. THEY IGNORED HIS OFFER!
The problem is in ROME and the ADMINISTRATION and we are seeing it’s effects NOW especially. I am not saying the Catholic Church is bad but they need reform of one manner or another See post#55 for what options they have, and pick which one you think they should do. Or come up with your own option, the Church as an organisation is flawed as the people who make it up are flawed. How do you fix it, post ideas please.
>> Then how do you explain the married fundamentalist ministers, like Ted Haggard, who have been involved in homosexual scandals in recent years?
Sin is everywhere. But, if one accepts the premise that heterosexual Christian men would typically marry a woman, and Christian men with homosexual tendencies would typically not marry at all ... a celibate priesthood is the logical hiding-place for flawed believers attempting to resist homosexual tendencies, but who do not want to relate to a woman.
Ted Haggard (a homosexual man married to a woman) strikes me as more of an anomaly than does an unmarried homosexual man. Celibacy is a disinvitation to men who are interested in women/ marriage ... and an open invitation to men who are interested in perpetually resisting sexual urges. This option is necessarily more attractive to people whose sexual urges are universally sinful (homosexuals) rather than those whose sexual urges are allowed a sin-free outlet (married heterosexuals).
Thus, celibacy invites homosexuals.
SnakeDoc
That’s the one. The church mirrors the man’s soul.
>> Then how do you explain the married fundamentalist ministers, like Ted Haggard, who have been involved in homosexual scandals in recent years? <<
Ted was a Meth Head sex Addict who could have used a daily dosage of finistride.
The Catholic Church needs NO reforming, thank you very much,,,,,,BUTT OUT since you don’t belong!! You are on the side that WANTS to bring down the Church.....you must be so proud of yourself. And your name is GRACE!!!
>> How many of the bishops involved in the cover-ups were gay? <<
Make you wonder how much of the cover up is “covering up for their own kind” and ignoring the service to the church in doing the coverup.
Wrong.....there are some EVIL Priests....I’ve met some and have REPORTED them....the Pope has NOTHING to do with this. They are trying to bring him down because he’s HOLY and CONSERVATIVE.
You mean, "I was raised Catholic, I am now a Protestant and both Catholics and Protestants are Christians."
Right?
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