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Fr. Mychal was old enough to have been a victim of his times. I'm sure he was an ethical, honorable celibate priest, whatever his leanings. I doubt that he would have been popular with the FD if he had been running around being the Gay Franciscan of the Month.

But the Franciscans had a real problem with homosexual priests who were not honorable and not celibate, and they flooded the order. An older friend of mine who had been a Franciscan for almost 25 years in 1971 (he was a gunnery sgt. in WWII and joined after the war) told me that suddenly all of the young brothers were grabbing each other's backsides and being encouraged in directives from the General's office to masturbate. He was stationed in San Francisco, and the majority of the men who were joining there in the 70s were people who would never have been permitted past the door only a few years before.

So I think we've got to see Fr. Mychal in perspective. Was he brave and dedicated to the FD? Yes. Was he a raving queen? No. Was he a celibate man who was less interested in women than in men? Possibly.

And in any case, Andrew Sullivan (whom I like a lot, generally) is doing Fr. Mychal a disservice by focusing on something that was probably, to Fr. Mychal himself, not the defining thing in his life. One hopes - and believes - that it was his faith defined his life, and not his - uh, private parts.

I honestly don't have anything against homosexuals. I just disagree with their lifestyle choice. I really want to thank Jim and FreeRepublic for allowing these issues to be discussed openly and respectfully. So many times threads reagarding the 'gay' issue get pulled because PC gay militants file abuse reports. Thankfully, this discussion has remained polite and interesting. It's best to allow all the opinions to be aired and then make up our minds.

And in any case, Andrew Sullivan (whom I like a lot, generally) is doing Fr. Mychal a disservice by focusing on something that was probably, to Fr. Mychal himself, not the defining thing in his life.

And it's worse that he is doing it knowing that FR. Mychal cannot present his point of view. I like Andrew too; but it seems to me he is exploiting the perception of this man's lifestyle to serve his own purpose. I'm not saying that he's doing it intentionally, but I am saying he's doing it reflexively.