Posted on 05/06/2002 7:06:08 AM PDT by anniegetyourgun
PHILADELPHIA- Mary Louise Cervone has been a practicing Roman Catholic all her life and, as a lesbian, has long hoped for acceptance from the church.
But finding a welcoming place has never been easy and now with the clergy sex abuse scandals raging in dioceses across the country, Cervone and other gay Catholics feel that homosexuals are being scapegoated by church leaders.
Most of the victims of priestly abuse are adolescent boys, leading some Catholics to conclude that there is a link between homosexuality and the abuse of minors.
Philadelphia Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua last week called homosexuality an "aberration, a moral evil" and said the archdiocese tries to screen out gay priests, suggesting that they were more likely to commit child abuse.
And 100 gay advocates protested outside St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City on Sunday after Monsignor Eugene Clark reportedly made similar comments April 21. The New York Archdiocese has said Clark was speaking for himself and not the archdiocese.
Clinicians say no credible data exists on the number of abusive priests who are homosexual and there is no evidence that homosexuals are more likely than heterosexuals to molest children.
Cervone, the president of Dignity/USA, a national gay Catholic activist organization, thinks homosexuals are being unfairly targeted.
"It's wrong," she said. "There's no data to support it. There's not even any data collected by the Catholic church. It's the arrogance of the church leaders, this feeble attempt to blame the whole crisis of clergy on the gay community."
Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, a Maryland-based gay Catholic advocacy group, said the organization has been getting calls from concerned gay priests and parishioners.
"It's a new phase of anger toward church leaders," DeBernardo said.
Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the recent statements do not reflect the usual church stance, which is that homosexual or heterosexual men can be priests if they are celibate.
She added that the church does not reject gay Catholics. What it teaches is that being homosexual isn't a sin, but being a sexually active gay is.
"I think the church tries to be open to all Catholics who are accepting of the church's teachings," Walsh said. "It's a difficult point for homosexual Catholics that the church condemns homosexual activity."
Both Dignity/USA, which has been banned from meeting in Philadelphia churches, and New Ways plan to speak on behalf of gay Catholic rights at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' general meeting in Dallas beginning June 13.
Over the years, such efforts have become more common as gays have fought for greater acceptance in the church.
"As gay people become more accepted in society, more Catholics are coming out," said Donal Godfrey, an Irish Jesuit priest who is working on a doctorate at the University of San Francisco.
"If you look at the life of Jesus, he was close to people who were marginalized. If we're meant to be following him, people who are marginalized should be comfortable in our churches."
The number of gay Catholics is hard to judge, but DeBernardo said he believes it is around 10 percent, roughly similar to some estimates of the general population.
Some wonder why homosexuals would stick with the church. Gay Catholics say their faith is a piece of their identity.
"It isn't an option for me," said Tom Streeper another member of Dignity in Philadelphia. "That's the way I was raised and it's part of who I am."
I could be wrong here, but how can one be GAY and a Practicing Catholic? Homosexuality is forbidden in the Catholic Church, isn't it?
Isn't this just another attempt by the lamestream media to "normalize" homosexuality?
It's kind of like McCain calling himself a practicing Republican.
That’s an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one. Are there pedophile Catholics too?
Sure. Anyone is free to debate this matter. The fact is, however, there is only one official RCC position which many of these 'gay' activists blatantly ignore in their 'coming out' or organizing of others; and that is that their lifestyle is in direct contradiction to the Catholic Church. Even the 'orientation' is considered as a problem and sickness requiring understanding and correction. Good post of yours.
"I think the church tries to be open to all Catholics who are accepting of the church's teachings," Walsh said. "It's a difficult point for homosexual Catholics that the church condemns homosexual activity." ... Some wonder why homosexuals would stick with the church. Gay Catholics say their faith is a piece of their identity. "It isn't an option for me," said Tom Streeper another member of Dignity in Philadelphia. "That's the way I was raised and it's part of who I am."Thanks for posting this article -- it points out just how deep the misunderstanding is concerning Catholicism and homosexuality.
Dignity/USA, which is described in the article as being "banned from meeting in Philadelphia churches," is an outlaw group of Catholics who are practicing homosexuals and who consider being "gay" a gift from God. Dignity has, in fact, been banned by the Vatican from meeting in any Catholic Church.
There is, however, a ministry to Catholics with same-sex attractions called Courage, which is endorsed by the Pontifical Council for the Family. They practice chastity (that is, they do not act out their sexual disorders). In fact, they don't even call themselves "gay."
The Church continues to teach that homosexual acts are always gravely sinful. Whether AP knows it or not, it is shilling for the banned group "Dignity" at the expense of "Courage." People like Tom Streeper, quoted above, are acting contrary to Church teaching when they encourage Catholics to submit, embrace and act out their homosexual temptations. They are merely cultural catholics, not practicing Catholics.
By living chastely.
Have we got Catholic FReepers down there who could attend and tape for us?
It was not uncommon to see older gay men with teenage boys. Gays are into 'Chicken Hawking' and everybody knows it.
In the meantime, the Catholic Church has been tightening up seminary student admissions with stringent admission policies and better background checks. Admissions tightening has been going on for many years.
Read report here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/678356/posts
IMHO, the Catholic Church should be able to deflect this sex scandal as the truth about homosexual conduct begins to come out. NAMBLA exists for a reason.
Perhaps taking a page from the heteros who rationalize their birth control, premarital sex and divorce yet take communion and consider themselves "practicing", homosexuals tend to rationalize things too.
That's the run of the mill sort, mind you.
Folks like Cervone like belong to that militant core of eco-femme lesbians and gays who seek to make open homosexuals "as common as candles" in the Catholic Church.
Perhaps taking a page from heterosexuals who believe that withholding their financial support of the Church will bring faith down to a matter of "The Economy, stupid," homosexuals believe that economics and secular political realities will force the Church to into accepting them.
As they put it ... "the reality will come first and the theology will follow".
Much like our legal system works today. But that's only to be expected. It's the same gramscian-marxist tactics being applied to destroy from within.
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