Really? This is the best that the church has for LGBT Catholics – the expectation that they be celibate? At this extraordinary meeting of Catholics from around the globe, why is [a] celibate gay man [Ron Belgau, pictured with his mother, Beverley, at right] the only representation of the church's LGBT members?
What a wasted opportunity.
How extraordinary it would've been to also hear married gay Catholics tell their stories and for sincere, honest and mutually respectful discussions to have proceeded from them.
What an eye-opener it would've been for straight Catholics who don't know any LGBT Catholics to actually speak with them, from the heart. To get – maybe for the first time - that LGBT Catholics are more than their sexual orientation just as straight Catholics are more than their own.
They, too, are husbands, wives and parents who pray and yearn for a better world for themselves and their families. Who try to discern God's will and handle life's hardships with grace. Who are flawed but trying, broken but worthy of full inclusion in the faith that sustains them.
. . . After Belgau's talk, attendees lined up at two microphones to ask questions, at least one of which broke my heart: A woman wondered how she should respond to a beloved niece, a lesbian who has announced her engagement. As a Catholic, the woman didn't know if she should attend the wedding.
[Belgau] advised the woman to respond with love and, maybe, consult with her priest. I'm sorry: If you have to ask a priest whether to attend the wedding of a niece you say you love, you don't deserve to be there.
– Ronnie Polaneczky
Excerpted from "Just Say No to Sex. Forever."
The Philadelphia Inquirer
September 25, 2015
Excerpted from "Just Say No to Sex. Forever."
The Philadelphia Inquirer
September 25, 2015
Hundreds Shut Out of Sole Session on Gays at World Meeting of Families – Kimberly Winston (Religion News Service, September 25, 2015).
At World Meeting of Families, Homosexuality Dominates Talk – Peter Smith (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 25, 2015).
At Philly’s World Meeting of Families: Not Much Time Given to Homosexuality, But LGBT Catholics Keep Conversation Going – Bob Shine (Bondings 2.0, September 26, 2015).
Pope's Outreach to Gays Doesn't Change Traditional Catholic View of Family – Jerome Socolovsky (Voice of America, September 25, 2015).
Marginalized Faithful Strive for Inclusion in Church – Laura Benshoff (NewsWorks, September 25, 2015).
Uneasy LGBT Conversations at Family Meeting – Elizabeth Eisenstadt Evans (National Catholic Reporter, September 25, 2015).
Papal Visit Prompts Calls for LGBT-inclusive Church – Michael K. Lavers (The Washington Blade, September 27, 2015).
Pope Francis Isn't As Progressive on LGBTQ Issues As You Think – German Lopez (Vox, September 23, 2015).
An Invitation to Pope Francis from D.C.’s Gay Catholic Community – Jeff Vomund (The Washington Post, September 20, 2015).
LGBT Catholics Say World Meeting is Missing an Opportunity – Julia Terruso (The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 17, 2015).
See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Jim Smith on the "Tears of Love and Faith" of LGBTI People and Their Families
• Quote of the Day – August 19, 2015
• The Many Manifestations of God's Loving Embrace
• The Dreaded “Same-Sex Attracted” View of Catholicism
• Be Not Afraid: You Can Be Happy and Gay
• LGBT Catholics to Pope Francis: Let Us "Work Together Towards Creating a Church Where All Families Know That We Are Truly Loved and Welcomed"
• Catholics Make Their Voices Heard on LGBTQ Issues
• LGBT Catholics Celebrate Being "Wonderfully Made"
• Remembering and Reclaiming a Wise, Spacious, and Holy Understanding of Homosexuality
• 300+ People Vigil at the Cathedral in Solidarity with LGBT Catholics
• Celebrating Our Sanctifying Truth
• Stop in the Name of Discriminatory Ideology!
• The Real Meaning of Courage
• The Many Forms of Courage (Part I)
• The Many Forms of Courage (Part II)
• The Many Forms of Courage (Part III)
• Beyond Courage
• Trusting God’s Generous Invitation
• Sons of the Church: The Witnessing of Gay Catholic Men - A Discussion Guide
• What the Vatican Can Learn from the X-Men
That headline writer at Philly.com did the author of the column no favor. It's not about "no to sex forever". Lordy, there are straight married couples who no longer have sex (some very unhappily, many grudingly, some happily). People don't die from not having sex; sex is not the same as food or water in that regard. People do die - not only physically but spiritually - from loneliness and depression. It's about (1) saying no to intimate companionship forever, and (2) saying yes to living your life in neuralgic fear that your sexuality is a bomb waiting to go off and that you Must Always Mind That Boundary Fiercely.
ReplyDeletePhilly was gearing up for this meeting and pilgrims were arriving just as we ended the Women's Ordination Conference. We were not welcome by planners of the World Meeting of Families. Shocked?
ReplyDelete