Did you know that the Catholic Church’s stance on homosexuality has not been defined? At least, that’s what the USCCB tells us because next month the bishops will vote on a proposal regarding the “Church’s posture on homosexuality.” The proposal “would condemn ‘scorn and hatred’ of gays and lesbians but would also declare that gay couples should not be allowed to marry or adopt children, that baptizing the children of same-sex couples presents ‘a pastoral concern,’ and that the church has the right to deny ‘roles of service’ to gays and lesbians who are not celibate.” (Of course, the Church has a right to deny “roles of service” to anyone living a public scandal to the Church’s teachings.)
By the way, have you ever noticed how much time and energy is spent by the Church, both in dioceses and nationally, on a group that makes up about 1 percent or less of the population? I’m not saying anyone should excluded from the Gospel, but 1 percent? What about all the other tiny identity groups? Methinks there’s a bit of self-interest in some quarters.
Unfortunately, what I see here is an attempt to “get out in front” of this issue by partisans hoping to push the pro-gay point of view in the “Always Our Children” mold. Here we have the big bad Church once again beating up the poor homosexuals and being hypocritical (“so many of those celibate priests are gay, you know”) and so public pressure must be put on the bishops to amend the statement to add to the already mushy teaching included and take out the difficult bits.
Equivocating toward the mushy middle
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Have the American bishops written anything about ex-Catholics who have left the church for Evangelicalism or Fundietown?