[Bonaparte]

``The gay Catholic community is rightfully indignant at some of the church's statements,'' Sipe said, ``and, in fact, a good number of good Catholic priests who are homosexual in orientation have told me how wounded they feel, that they have given their whole life to the church and have been celibate and the church labels them as intrinsically defective.''

What on earth is this idiot ex-priest/therapist talking about? Celibacy (forgoing marriage) has nothing to do with these priests -- chastity is the issue. And, beyond that, Sipe doesn't seem to realize that a "good priest," as he puts it, does not "orient" himself around an abomination.

[Armando Guerra]

Celibacy: The condition or state of life of an unmarried person, particularly of one who vows never to marry.

Chastity: Never voluntarily having had sexual intercourse.

You are correct in noting the difference.

Sister Rita Mary Harwood: ``The church calls all of us to live a chaste life and outside of marriage to live a celibate life,'' she said. ``And just as the church calls a heterosexual person to refrain from sexual relations outside of marriage, it also calls a homosexual person to refrain from sexual relations.''

I don't normally agree with these outreach groups because they do tend to say it is okay to be gay since God made you that way. However, what Sister Rita is saying is what the Church does say. She does seem to correctly grasp that an inclination to be attracted to the same sex is not the same as acting on it. Gays are not to engage in homosexual relations and if the outreach programs help parishioners struggling to lead chaste lives then it is fine. Sipe, however, seems to have a problem with the Church saying homosexuality is wrong and priests should not be identifying themselves with that lifestyle.