Posted on 05/20/2002 3:06:17 AM PDT by kattracks
Pacific Rim Bureau (CNSNews.com) - "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve," the Roman Catholic bishop of Australia's largest city told his congregation Sunday morning, minutes after refusing to give communion to homosexual and lesbian activists.
"Homosexual acts are contrary to the natural law, they close the sexual act to the gift of life," Archbishop George Pell told Catholics gathered for Pentecost Sunday Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney.
In an orchestrated move, 20 members of a group campaigning for the church to give full recognition to homosexual Catholics had earlier gone forward for communion, while another 12 did the same St. Patrick's Cathedral in another major city, Melbourne.
Each member of the Rainbow Sash Movement (RSM) wore a rainbow-colored sash over their clothing. In both churches they were denied communion, although in Melbourne, Archbishop Denis Hart did offer the sash-wearers a blessing.
Although the bids failed, a spokesman for the group said Monday they were heartened to hear that similar attempts made by RSM members in several cities in the U.S. Sunday had met with success.
In New York, Chicago, Minneapolis and Rochester, spokesman Michael Kelly said, homosexual and lesbian members wearing the sashes said they had received communion. RSM was formed in Australia, but now has chapters in a handful of U.S. cities, too.
Kelly, a former Franciscan seminarian, attributed the discrepancy to "confusion" in the church hierarchy about how to handle the issue of homosexuals.
Because some priests had knowingly given communion to homosexuals, while others had refused to, the organization was now considering "an appeal to Rome."
"Refusal to give communion is the second most serious sanction in church life, after excommunication. So it's a very rare and very important sanction that's been imposed on us."
Kelly, who was part of the Sydney group in Sunday's protest, said the group had donned their sashes during the introductory hymn, as a symbol of their desire to "embrace our sexuality as a sacred gift."
They then participated in the service as usual, but when they had approached the altar for communion, Pell had told them, "I can't help you."
The bishop had not offered them a blessing either. If he had done so, it would have been seen as a "token gesture," Kelly said, but nonetheless one that would have said to the group: "We don't completely reject you."
They then returned to their pews, where they stood "in silent protest" while other communicants returned to their places and knelt, as is traditional.
A short while later, Pell read out a prepared statement, he said.
In the statement, a copy of which was provided by the Archdiocese of Sydney Monday, Pell said he deeply regretted that people professing the Catholic faith would mount "an ideological demonstration" during Mass, and particularly at communion time.
Any Catholic who publicly defined himself as "supporting or practicing activities contrary to church teaching in a serious matter is not entitled to receive Holy Communion."
The same would apply to a married person living in adultery, he added.
Pell said church teaching on sexuality was "clear and unequivocal, and derives from natural moral law, which we believe is unchanging ... God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve, and important consequences follow from this."
Kelly said Monday he found the comment "childish" and "unhelpful," not something worthy of a major church leader.
He charged that the current child-sex abuse scandal in the church in the U.S. and elsewhere was the result of the church hierarchy's refusal to bring matters of sexuality out into the open.
The RSM would continue to campaign to be allowed to participate fully and openly in the life of the church, Kelly said. Homosexuals had been involved in the church for centuries, he added, but their participation had taken place under a "code of silence and invisibility."
Although Kelly said church leaders had ignored nine written appeals for dialogue over the past five years, Pell in his statement said he would "continue to dialogue privately and publicly with those who think differently" about church teaching on marriage and family.
He also said he would pray for the protestors.
"Although human weakness is universal and God's mercy infinite, the path to happiness and heaven for a Catholic does not lie in seeking to re-interpret what is right and wrong," the bishop said.
"Rather, one should commit oneself, in good faith, to the church and its teachings and work towards following these teachings as closely as possible."
E-mail a news tip to Patrick Goodenough.
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Excellent point.
May the Holy Spirit during this remarkable time of Pentecost soften the hearts of homosexuals and other sexual deviants, lead them to examine their conscience, and help turn them against their sins and seek repentence from our Lord, Jesus Christ, through His Sacrament of Reconciliation, and may they rejoin our one body of Christ. Amen.
I really wish he'd come to America -- and stay.
You bet I did! I couldn't believe it! I felt wonderful, and fearless in regards to the scandal. We will overcome this!
I was thinking of being vested in the Church of the Invisible Pink Unicorn (PBUHH). :)
If so, father, I wouldn't give them communion until I heard their confession.
Yes my son, I have already agreed with someone else who reminded me of this requirement.
100% of the Catholics I surveyed (myself) think that number is bovine excrement.In New York City, that number is close (IMO), if by homosexual you mean men with same-sex attractions, as opposed to homosexually active. It's mind boggling.
Now, let's get some of these type of priests on the U.S., particularly in the dioceses of Kennedy, Daschle, Leahy, and the rest of the pro-abortion, pro-sodomite legislators.
"Although human weakness is universal and God's mercy infinite, the path to happiness and heaven for a Catholic does not lie in seeking to re-interpret what is right and wrong," [Archbishop George Pell] said. "Rather, one should commit oneself, in good faith, to the church and its teachings and work towards following these teachings as closely as possible."Major bump for the Aussie bishop!!! God bless you, Archbishop Pell!
A priest who is knowledgeable, orthodox, and a personal friend of mine says this is very good news.
So then. Mass will start with a hearty "G'day, mate!"?
SD
Peace of Christ.
Actually, the Southern USA enculturated version (officially known as the "Roman Rite/Dixie Use") will start with "G'day, y'all!"
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