Here is a letter to the editor to the San Francisco Chronicle by Archdiosan spokesman Maurice Healy.
Editor — Lost amid vitriolic comments by politicians and others ("San Francisco supervisors slam Vatican on adoptions,” March 22) is the fact that the Catholic Church is not trying to block adoptions by same-sex couples. It simply is saying that in light of Catholic Church teaching on marriage and family life, a Catholic agency should not be the instrument of such adoptions.
Another ignored fact: In the past 20 years, agencies of Catholic Charities in the entire United States have made a grand total of 18 adoptions to same-sex couples. This includes 13 such adoptions by Boston Catholic Charities, and five such adoptions since 2000 by San Francisco Catholic Charities.
Vicious and intolerant attacks on the Catholic Church cannot be justified by the simple desire of the archdioceses of Boston and San Francisco to be in accord with the universal church and Catholic teaching on marriage and family life. Given the minuscule number of adoptions by same-sex couples that have been arranged by U.S. Catholic agencies, it seems clear that the strident opposition to the Catholic Church’s position is driven by something other than concern for children in need of a home.
The church should not suffer intolerance or discrimination because of its religious beliefs. Moreover, the church is not anti-gay. It teaches respect for the dignity of every human being, and love for all our brothers and sisters.
MAURICE HEALY
Director of Communications
Archdiocese of San Francisco
Sounds actually like something from the Catholic League instead of a letter actually written by a diocesan spokesman. Usually these spokesman make statements by a lifetime diplomat at the state department sound decisive and firm in comparison.
6 comments
To say the Church is not anti-gay, does that mean that it is pro-gay? Is it a sin to be actively gay, is the Church pro-sin?
If I might brave an answer, I would argue the Church is anti-gay but sympathetic to those men and women with homesexual disorders.
However, the mainstream culture perceives numerous faults with such a position.
One: it is not a snappy slogan.
Two: it acknowledges complexity and refuses to degenerate into simple left vs right rhetoric. Three: it denys the legitmacy of the LBGT “culture” and is therefore discriminatory and dares to assert an opinion contrary to the dominant modern (and rather oppressive) culture.
It is a great and challenging time to be Catholic!
The Catholic Church loves the sinner, but hates the sin. That concept is already way too nuanced for many agenda-driven people to grasp. Plus most of them who do grasp it, reject it, claiming that one cannot oppose their objectively sinful sexual activities without rejecting them as persons. They are completely self-identified as gay– they are whom they sleep with.
So, yes, according to their warped world-view, we are anti-gay.
Are not most of the clergy by most accounts upwards of 50% homosexual? Some have it near 80%, with most talking so effiminate you cant doubt that they are gay.
So how can you expect the church to come down on homosexuality when they themselves are homosexual? Take a look at all of the Bishops and every 1 of 2 is gay by that statistic. It is an evil of huge proportions.
Many have wondered why there are not more pro-life anti abortionist priests, and that is because most themselves being gay cant relate to being a father of a child or being in a heterosexual relationship.
John, I don’t know what diocese you’re in, but it’s not one that I’ve visited!
Please substantiate your claims.
The Church teaches the moral law, and also that the grace necessary for each person to follow the moral law is available to everyone. People who contend with same-sex attraction have a natural tendency to a particular sort of sin, just as do alcoholics, liars, and people with short tempers. I’m always saying it – nobody, not me or you or Andrew Sullivan – gets to have his pet sin reclassified as an identity and exempted from the punishment due to sin.