On the day that the Vatican's gay-hunters began their work here in St. Louis, I received a letter from a priest I admire. "I am a Roman Catholic priest from the Archdiocese of St. Louis who happens to be gay," he wrote. "When it comes to my Church and her teachings on homosexuality, I cannot help but find myself both hurt and ashamed. I, like so many theologians, fellow priests, sisters, and Americans, find the Church's teaching regarding homosexuality inconsistent with the broader understanding of human dignity, respect and equality. "The Church chooses in matters of sexuality to bring very...