Are Marginalized
Lesbian and Gay Catholics
Welcome in the Church?

by
John Montague
May 2002
 

The Final Section


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Ecumenical Perspectives On This Issue

Lesbians/Gay Ministry in the Catholic Church: A Vision for the Future

Conclusion

Bibliography

Endnotes

Ecumenical Perspectives On This Issue

        In the past thirty years the Metropolitan Commuunity Church which was started by gay people for gay ministry has flourished throughout North America. Many of the major Christian denominations: Roman Catholic, Anglican, United, Lutheran, have lesbian/gay Christian groups. Only the Catholic Church has forbidden her lesbian daughters and gay sons to meet on her property. The Protestant Churches have various levels of acceptance of gay people. The Anglican and United Churches in Canada have welcomed the diaspora of gay Catholic groups such as 'Dignity' into their buildings when they have been exiled from Catholic property by their bishops. Some dioceses such as Chicago and Los Angeles have established innovative ministries to the lesbian/gay community that has been life-giving for many. When the Bishop in Chicago went to celebrate mass with this group last year he asked the local pastor if all the people in the group were celibate. The pastor wisely answered that you would not ask that question of the regular Sunday morning congregation.

        Vatican II does not propose that the Roman Church is co-extensive with the Church of Christ as had been taught by Pius XII in the encyclical Mystici Corporis Christi in 1943.

"Instead of saying that the Church of Christ is the Roman Catholic Church, the text states that the Church of Christ subsists in the Roman Catholic Church, thereby admitting that it is also alive in other Churches and communities not in full communion with Catholicism (8)." (66)
        Many Roman Catholic gay and lesbian people have moved from the Church of their baptism and first communion to other Christian communities that they perceive as more welcoming. They may be alienated because of how their local Christian communities have ignored them, or because of magisterial teaching. Due to their sexual orientation they may feel unwelcome in the local parish that conveys homophobic attitudes. It is as if what was unknown when they were baptized as infants, now prevents them from partaking of full acceptance in the Catholic community. This is clearly disordered. Only by God's mysterious grace, usually through the intervention of an understanding priest or pastoral minister, do some feel comfortable remaining within the Catholic community or returning to it.

        Gregory Baum points out that people can have unrealistic expectations of what to expect from Christian community. When their every desire is not realized they can become cynical and even become apostates. There are a few gay Christian communities that have been founded by former Catholic men and women religious. While these base Christian communities offer the Church other manifestations of community, they must be contributing to building up the whole body of the Church. If they are not in dialogue with the universal Church they can become turned in upon their own alienation, and this breeds cynicism. They also can turn on their leaders when conflict arises. Self-awareness is necessary to appreciate that no pastoral minister can always meet every need of every person. Baum writes: "The longing desire for the warm and understanding total community is the search for the good mother, which is bound to end in disappointment and heartbreak. There are no good mothers and fathers, there is only the divine mystery summoning and freeing us to grow up." (67)

        Unfortunately most of these Christian gay communities have been excluded from dialogue with ecclesiastical authorities and are not invited to Church Unity octaves and other ecumenical dialogues. This needs to change. The witness of faith in these groups can be a source of new understanding for theologians and Church authorities.

        It is possible to provide positive and effective ministry to the gay and lesbian Catholic community. It can only be done with real compassion. Pastors and bishops can then only help the gay/lesbian community to confront their issues such as promiscuity when they know they are held in love. The Samaritan woman could not have changed her lifestyle if she did not feel Jesus honest care for her. This cannot be done from behind desks in offices far removed from the gay/lesbian community. It is a dialogical and pastoral process. Wherever the grace of Christ is at work, the Church will be a sign of God's Kingdom.

Lesbians/Gay Ministry in the Catholic Church: A Vision for the Future

        This paper started from the premise that the only place to learn how to live the 'Good News' is in community. The paradox involves the dilemma of finding a parish that welcomes diversity, while holding the tension of what is essential within the tradition. We are not talking about eccentric self-seeking, but the vulnerability of certain persons who have been made to feel alienated and unwelcome from the Catholic church going community.

        The four marks of the church - one, holy, catholic, and apostolic guarantee that wherever we travel around the globe we are invited into the faith community, even if we do not understand the local language of the liturgy. After all, we are 'ONE'. However, people can find themselves treated differently depending on the subjective emphases of the local ordinary. For example, in the archdiocese of Los Angeles, the Archbishop has initiated a progressive outreach ministry to lesbian and gay Catholics that would be anathema in many dioceses in the same state, country, and internationally. Does that mean that ministry to the marginalized depends exclusively on the whims of the chief shepherd of the diocese?

        An incident in 1998 involving two completely different Episcopal pastoral responses illustrates the arbitrary approach to lesbian/gay ministry.

"In Melbourne, Archbishop George Pell refused a similar gathering of activist homosexuals Holy Communion at St. Patrick's Cathedral; in Canberra, Bishop Pat Power, an auxiliary bishop in Canberra Diocese, Australia, welcomed the group and commented: 'I have to admit that at time's the Church's teaching on human sexuality has been overly negative and there are times when it has been out of touch with human reality. Together we need to find new and better ways for the Church to enunciate its teaching on sexual morality'." (68)
        Gregory Baum suggests that: "The Church, guided by the Spirit, is forever learning." (69) Christianity is relevant insofar as it exists in the world of real imperfect people who attempt, however feebly at times, to find answers to personal, family, and communal issues from the wisdom tradition of the Christian Church. Jesus' invitation to discipleship suggests that no perfect persons need apply. Yet, we are called to a discipline in following him.

        In 1982 John Fortunato wrote a seminal work on gay spirituality entitled Embracing the Exile - Healing Journeys for Gay Christians. His thesis is that when we embrace the exile we transcend ourselves, and in doing so, find God. The Church fulfills its pastoral mandate when like Jesus it compassionately reaches out to those on its margins and is transformed itself in the process. The Church also must admit that at times it needs to dialogue to learn about the reality of lived human experience.

        The most controversial document of Vatican II Donald Campion suggests: "…accepts as its point of departure the emergence of valid new intellectual disciplines chiefly those of the psychological, social, and historical sciences, as well as the unfolding of world-wide trends such as urbanization and industrialization with their inevitable impact on man and his works (54)." (70) This is a hopeful sign of the Church's openness to consider the insights of modern social science, which in the long term will influence the attitude that ecclesiastical authorities deal with sexual minorities.

        In speaking about the diversity of pastoral ministry, Paul writes:

"The gifts He gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way with him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love." (Ephesians 4:11-16)
Paul's exhortation to speak the truth in love enables me to make two recommendations. First: The Bishops need to initiate a dialogue with gay/lesbian people, and their families of origin. No appropriate pastoral ministry can occur if pastoral shepherds do not know about the painful and joyful events that gay and lesbian members experience. Second: Diocesan pastoral leaders should be encouraged to develop ministry programs for gay/lesbian people and their families that are part of the fabric of the worshipping community's life. Examples of ministry include organizing retreats, supporting Catholic Parents Networks that provide group ministry for families and friends, and education in parishes to encourage appropriate pastoral hospitality. Lesbian and gay people exist everywhere, so the need for pastoral ministry programs exists in every diocese and parish. Educational programs that affirm lesbian/gay people and that eradicate fearful and prejudicial attitudes need to be developed urgently. Social and spiritual programs that explain and satisfy human needs for relationship, friendship, intimacy, and participation need to be a major part of ministry activity.

        Dying to institutional triumphalism and pretense can result in the opportunity for forgiveness and long overdue structural transformation. Paradoxically it may represent the beginning of appropriate ministry and dialogue with communities marginalized for being sexually different. Pope John XXIII called the Vatican Council to begin dialogue within the Church. In the Conclusion to Gaudium et Spes in the section entitled 'Dialogue between all Men' his vision of this dialogue is stated eloquently:

" By virtue of her mission to shed on the whole world the radiance of the gospel message, and to unify under one Spirit all men of whatever nation, race, or culture, the Church stands forth as a sign of that brotherliness which allows honest dialogue and invigorates it. Such a mission requires in the first place that we foster within the Church herself mutual esteem, reverence, and harmony, through the full recognition of lawful diversity. Thus all of those who compose the one People of God both pastors and the general faithful, can engage in dialogue with astounding fruitfulness." (71)
Conclusion

        In this paper I have first, discussed the need for ministry to the lesbian and gay Catholic community using the systematic areas of ecclesiology and grace. I have presented some considerations concerning sexual ethics affecting this population. I briefly referred to some of the ecumenical aspects. Finally I presented recommendations, which are vital to begin the dialogue for effective ministry and praxis.

        I have attempted to answer the question raised in the title of this paper: Are marginalized lesbian and gay Catholics welcome in the church? Officially they are included with their baptismal seal. The Reign of God is not achieved however until they are welcomed warmly into decision making about the morality of their relationships. They are able to withstand the uncomfortable reception they often experience only by 1) embracing the cross lovingly and with forgiveness, and 2) following their conscience. Living out Christian life involves ignoring prejudice and loving enemies.

        This year 2002 marks the fortieth anniversary since the first session of Vatican II. Like the sleeping giant that suddenly comes to life, the laity is assuming responsibility for helping the Church examine long held classical conceptions of gender roles and sexual behavior. Marginalized people bring a hermeneutic of suspicion about how ecclesiastical power is exercised. Speaking about theologians writing out of the experience of Third World poverty Fahey says: " They plead for a renewal in theological methodology that would include a critical analysis of the major structures of oppression." (72) I think this analysis very much applies to the lesbian/gay community.

        The authenticity of the tradition comes under question when it ceases to be in living dialogue with the world. As Doran has effectively shown: " …a key symptom of the lack of health of this dialectic is the social marginalisation of the poor. ...The Church may be comfortable, but at the price of excluding the non-conforming voice, usually of the victims and the powerless." (73) An example is survivors of sexual abuse by clergy who sometimes are shunned by their communities for failing to be silent. Kennedy prays:

"Blessed are the imperfect for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. There would be no need for love if we were all perfect, no faults to forgive, no tears to dry. Nor would there be any need for faith, or hope, or community. The heart of ministry is found not in the achievement of perfection ourselves, but in forming healthy relationships that help others grow to their human fullness." (74)
        The challenge continues to find competent and effective ministry for marginalized Catholics including gays and lesbians, and their parents. They need to locate a parish, which includes in their mission statement a welcome sign for those 'who feel alienated and unwelcome'.

        Christ gives unlimited grace through the membership of the baptized faithful that we all may be one. Komonchak sums up what those on the way to Emmaus felt when their hearts were burning (Luke 24:32) within them: "The community we call the Church arises when the gift of the Spirit enables a group of people to say, "Jesus is Lord". (75)

        The pastoral approach that needs proclaiming and which is workable, may be summed up as follows: "To lesbian and gay Catholics throughout the world and to the people who minister with them, that they know that other members of the Body of Christ experience their pain from the family of faith, stand with them in their struggles to speak their truth, and celebrate their unwavering hope that all may recognize that where Love is, there is God." (76)

Endnotes

66 Michael Fahey, "Commentary on The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church-Lumen Gentium," In: George P. Schner (editor), The Church Renewed: The Documents of Vatican II Reconsidered., Lanham, Maryland: Univesity Press of America. 1986. Page 14.

67 Gregory Baum, New Horizon. New York: Paulist Press, 1972, Pages 141-142.

68 Ibid. Higgins and Letson. Page 244.

69 Gregory Baum, "Ratzinger explains how condemnation was right then, wrong now." National Catholic Reporter. January 25, 2002. Page 18.

70 Ibid. Abbott. Commentary by Donald Campion on Gaudium et Spes. Page 190.

71 Ibid. Abbott. Gaudium et Spes. Pages 305-306.

72 Michael Fahey. "Church: The Contemporary Context of Ecclesiology". In Francis Fiorenza and John Galvin (eds.), Systematic Theology: Roman Catholic Perspectives, Volume.2. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1991;Dublin, Ireland: Gill and Macmillan. 1992. Page 335.

73 Neil Ormerod. Page 345-346.

74 Eugene Kennedy delivered the keynote address to the Fifth New Ways Ministry Symposium, in Louisville Kentucky, on 8 March 2002.

75 Joseph Komonchak, "Lonergan and the Tasks of Ecclesiology." In Creativity and Method: Essays in Honour of Bernard Lonergan, S.J. Edited: Mathew Lamb. Milwaukee: Marquette University Press, 1981. Page 266.

76 Jeanine Gramick and Pat Furey (editors), The Vatican and Homosexuality - Reactions to the 'Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons'. New York: Crossroad, 1988. Unspecified page used as a dedication of the book, after the copyright page.
 
 

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