In the Vineyard
December 1, 2005
Volume 4, Issue 17

“I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out....I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered.” Ezekiel 34:11

VOTF at Work in the World
(Please note that many of the online publications require registering before viewing the articles mentioned.)

VOTF National comments on the USCCB’s under funded Causes and Context Study and the seeming “witch hunt” conducted on US seminaries by the Vatican.

• The USCCB web site has posted the text (PDF) of “Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with Regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in View of their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders.”
  and a statement from USCCB (PDF) president Bishop Skylstad.
• Another perspective on the November 2005 USCCB meeting – Marci Hamilton asks “Has the Catholic Church put the clergy abuse crisis behind them?” Hamilton says, “Not by a long shot.”; also see the lead editorial in the Nov. 25 issue of National Catholic Reporter.
• Gaile Pohlhaus, national secretary for VOTF, comments on the continuing reference by Church leadership to homosexuals as “objectively disordered.” Read “A Disordered Objective” in Commentary.
• R. John Kinkel, VOTF Michigan, asks in an open letter to Pope Benedict XVI. See Commentary – “Why Isn’t Celibacy Enough?” Reprinted with permission from the Los Angeles Times.
• A remarkable coalition of Christians and Jews gathered in Philadelphia on 11/27 at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary to protest the leaked Vatican instruction that appears to link the abuse crisis in the Catholic Church to homosexuality. Organizers planned their peaceful protest to coincide with the arrival of the seminary Visitation Team at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. See “Walking the Talk in Philadelphia.”

The USCCB initiated a “Response and Prevention Project” under the Office of Child and Youth Protection. It’s findings are on the USCCB web site. What do you think? Write to pthorp.ed@votf.org.

Priests of integrity continue to speak out: In Mesa, AZ, a priest resigns in protest against “aggressive anti-gay positions” coming from his bishop and the Vatican. Click here; one priest has found a different way to stay – on his own terms. Read more.

• A gay priest speaks out. Jesuit priest Fr. Thomas J. O’Brien’s decided to “come out as a gay priest.” Read his statement in Commentary – “A Flawed and Disordered Document”). It was sent to Voice of the Faithful and also appeared in the Detroit Free Press.

National VOTF notes the 25th anniversary of the deaths of Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel and Lay Missioner Jean Donovan at the hands of Salvadoran government troops on December 2, 1980. VOTF Boston members are gathering to share a memorial Eucharist on Sunday, December 4 at Boston College, 2 pm, St. Ignatius Church. Let us know how your faith community remembered Maura, Ita, Dorothy, and Jean. Write to pthorp.ed@votf.org.

The anniversary of the churchwomen’s deaths will be marked internationally with a four-day commemoration in El Salvador, as well as events in Rome, Washington, DC, Chicago, and at both the Ursuline Sisters’ convent in Cleveland and the Maryknoll headquarters in Ossining, NY.

NEWS from National - VOTF National Representative Council reports that Campaign 2006 is taking shape; VOTF member Bill Casey reports on the filming of “Twist of Faith” during the NRC meeting weekend in Arlington, VA; VOTF officer nominations and elections are fast approaching. See details; VOTF National Office to commence a monthly communications conference call in order to identify and, eventually, media train VOTF spokespeople from around the US. Communications manager John Moynihan provides details for interested members.

VOTF Ohio faces a struggle over SB 17 in the Ohio State House of Representatives. The state Senate unanimously approved this legislation last Spring, extending the statute of limitations to 20 years for victims to file civil charges against their alleged abuser. The bill was originally introduced to require clergy and church officials to report suspected abuse or neglect of a child; it was facing opposition as the House Judiciary Committee hearing approached on Nov. 22. See Kris Ward’s background remarks and update in Commentary – “Civil and Not So Civil.” Also, check SNAP’s web site for updates.

• Bill Litzler of the St. Chris affiliate has arranged for a showing of “Twist of Faith” to run from Dec. 9 to Dec. 15 at the Detroit Theater in Lakewood. Call 216-521-2245. SNAP is a co-sponsor. Visit www.votfcleveland.org

VOTF Maine member and mother of a survivor won a settlement out of court in her case against the Portland, Maine archdiocese. Read her statement in Commentary –“ In a Mother’s Words.”

VOTF Boston, MA legislative update: Contrary to expectations, SB 2313 did not make it to the floor on the last day of the House session Nov. 16, 2005. Supporters, however, are calling it “victory delayed” and will focus their energies on the next session. [For some background on this legislative effort, see the Nov. 17 issue of In the Vineyard.]

• “A federal prosecutor has ended a probe of the protection of sexually abusive priests by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston without seeking indictments of former top officials, including William Murphy, now bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, and Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned as Boston archbishop almost three years ago.” VOTF Long Island, NY’s Dan Bartley asks, “At what point does Rome become responsible for allowing someone with Bishop Murphy’s background to remain in office?” See full story in Newsday ; and in the Boston Globe, Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org noted, "At the very least, you would think that someone who falsifies information in a federal document to allow a credibly accused priest to get a government job should be moved from a position of authority."
• Francine Cardman, professor of Church History at Weston Jesuit School of Theology, spoke at a rally organized by Our Lady’s Friends outside Holy Cross Cathedral, Boston – seat of the Boston Archdiocese. Read Francine’s remarks, as well as others who spoke, and see photos of this “very red” rally – go to the Our Lady’s Friends web site.

Brazil sexual abuse crisis just emerging – See National Catholic Reporter.

Affiliate Alerts - The need for heightened vigilance is evident as news reports of accusations and convictions of priests and others working with young people continue to occupy the nation’s media. See news items from the Joliet, Ill.; Bedford, Mass., and Phoenix, Ariz; do you have your Christmas Cards? Support survivors and greet the season with these original-art cards. Visit the VOTF Winchester web site at www.votfwinchester.org or contact Bob Morris at rmorrisvotf@aol.com.

SITE-Seeing reminders: BishopAccountability.org is internationally recognized as a document resource. Also, check in with SNAP. If you don’t receive National Catholic Reporter, check their on-line news at www.nationalcatholicreporter.org. See www.zenit.org for news as it happens in the Vatican. America magazine at www.americamagazine.org and Commonweal at www.commonwealmagazine.org are also valuable resources in our faith community.

COMMENTARY

In a Mother’s Words.” – Marie Tupper, VOTF Maine

“A Flawed and Disordered Document” – Fr. Thomas J. O’Brien

“Why Isn’t Celibacy Enough?” – by VOTF member John Kinkel, reprinted with permission from the Los Angeles Times

“Civil and Not So Civil.” - Kris Ward

Prayer

“Advent Prayer for Children” - Jack Rakosky (Readers might remember Jack’s January 2005 Vineyard Childermas reflection and prayer.)

QUOTE for our time:
“ Our society is obsessed by sex and the Church should offer a model of a sane but not compulsive acceptance of sexuality. The Catechism of the Council of Trent taught that priests should talk about sex ‘with moderation rather than copiousness.’ We should be more attentive to whom our seminarians may be inclined to hate than whom they love. Racialism, misogyny and homophobia would all be signs that someone could not be a good model of Christ.” As noted by Timothy Radcliffe, OP in The Tablet.

The next issue of In the Vineyard and the final issue for 2005 is Thursday, December 15. Copy deadline Monday, December 12.

Civil and Not So Civil
Report from VOTF vice president Kris Ward

A critical hearing on a Statute of Limitations bill was held in the Ohio House Judiciary Committee on Nov. 22.

Members of the Ohio affiliates have worked alongside survivors and members of their families with great dedication and sacrifice throughout 2005 toward the goal of passage of this bill, which passed the Ohio Senate unanimously in March 2005. It ran into trouble in the House. The bill includes: an extension of the civil statutes for 20 years after a survivor reaches the age of 18 (with a provision that the clock stops if a perpetrator leaves the state and restarts upon a return); the addition of clergy as mandatory reporters; and a provision for a one-year window of access to justice for those for whom the current statute has passed (this is a “look back” of 35 years).

The bishops of the six dioceses of Ohio, through the attorney and the lobbyist for the Ohio Catholic Conference, have expressed opposition to the window portion of this bill. The window is essential to hold bishops accountable. It would provide opportunities for bishops to speak under oath on a witness stand, thereby entering the public record.

With this information, the whole Church – and society at large in all sexual abuse of children and minors’ cases – would get that much closer to the truth. This is a potent tool to hold accountable those who abused as well as those who covered up and enabled.

These opportunities do not present themselves with criminal statutes because windows for the filing of cases in a look-back period are not part of criminal statute extensions.

We have, as have all of you, heard Catholics question the need for the windows that would allow access to justice. There is an argument put forward that these windows will mean settlements that will bankrupt the Church.

The windows provide access to justice. They do not guarantee an outcome of innocence or guilt. No part of the judicial process ceases to exist because of the window. The windows do not lessen the evidence standard for proving a case. Without the truth, all of us today and all Catholics in the future will continue to operate in the dark. The bankruptcy we need to prioritize is the moral bankruptcy that comes of shirking the pursuit of truth.

On November 22:

Over 115 people came to testify and support those who testified – many of them Voice of the Faithful members from throughout Ohio. The crowd overflowed from the hearing room into an adjacent room – this on very short notice and on a week day.

Ohio Senate Bill 17, whose sponsor, Senator Robert Spada, is now a member of Voice of the Faithful and was with us in Indianapolis, was scheduled for a House Judiciary Committee hearing from 9:30 am to 4 pm. So many survivors, family members and supporters registered to testify that the hearing was extended to 9 PM; even that wasn’t enough since only 43 people were able to testify. Twenty-seven registered speakers were not able to testify.

The Chair of the Committee has scheduled another hearing date for proponents of this legislation – December 8! I find that a very interesting selection of days. We ask for your prayers again as you celebrate Eucharist on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

A Disordered Objective
by Gaile Pohlhaus

The Roman Catholic Church calls homosexual persons objectively disordered. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that all persons bear “the stain of original sin.” Thus homosexual persons are no different from all other persons. We are all objectively disordered. Voice of the Faithful believes that all men should be considered for ordination if they recognize a call to such a vocation. Pedophiles come in all sizes and shapes and sexual orientations. To claim that barring homosexuals from the priesthood would get to the root of the present crisis in the Church is to disparage all the young women who have suffered at the hands of abusive priests. Neither will this solve the basic problem of covering up sins and crimes which cry to heaven for redress.

An Open Letter to Pope Benedict XVI: Pope Benedict, why isn’t celibacy enough?
By R. John Kinkel, VOTF Michigan

[R. John Kinkel, a former priest, teaches sociology at Baker College in Michigan and is the author of Chaos in the Catholic Church (Xlibris, 2005). The commentary below is reprinted with permission from the Los Angeles Times.]

THE CATHOLIC Church seems to be unraveling at an astonishing rate. The latest threat to its future comes next week, when the Vatican’s Congregation on Catholic Education officially begins scapegoating gay priests — believed to make up 30% or more of the U.S. Catholic clergy — for its sex abuse scandals.

That’s when the Vatican has said it will issue regulations banning men who are actively homosexual or have “deep-seated homosexual tendencies” from the priesthood. Catholic seminarians — priests in training — who say they are gay will be ordained, under the new rules, only if they have not had sex with another man for four years.

As a former priest who left the church to marry and raise a family, I am sadly sympathetic to gay priests who may quit rather than put up with these absurd and unenforceable homophobic requirements for ordination.

Isn’t it enough that the church insists on a celibacy vow? Must it now also insist — for gays only — on celibacy even before entering the priesthood?

The greatest challenge to the Catholic Church is not gay priests, it’s the Catholic Church. The record is consistently dismal. In the late 1960s, the Vatican ignored reality and banned birth control. Droves left the church. In the 1970s and ‘80s, heterosexual priests like myself who wanted families and had hoped for a change in the rules on celibacy were told to pack up and find work elsewhere. We did, some 20,000 strong.

The result has been a dire shortage of priests and a big increase in the percentage of priests who are gay, a function of mathematics and social trends.

Now the Vatican has cooked up this brilliant idea: exclude homosexuals from the priesthood. According to media reports, the new directive will give gays a chance of being ordained if they have “overcome” their homosexual tendencies for four years before becoming priests. If a priest’s “disorder” is deemed to be “transient” and he forswears gay culture and behavior, he could be cleared for ordination — the “it was only a phase” provision.

It’s not completely clear yet how the new rules will be implemented and administered. But how does one prove that something didn’t happen, or that one didn’t have impure thoughts? This new policy may well be the tipping point in the church’s long and painful decline in the U.S. The many ordained priests who are gay will feel pressure to leave the church or, more likely, go further underground. Others will be falsely suspected or accused. Many sincere aspirants to the priesthood will be discouraged from pursuing a clerical career by the prospect of such an unpleasant and intrusive ordeal.

What’s wrong with being a gay priest? If you’re celibate, as the Catholic Church already requires you to be, then what’s the difference if you’re gay or straight at heart?

Perhaps most important, we should ask why this policy is directed only at homosexual priests. Yes, most of the sex abuse cases documented in the church scandal involved incidents between priests and boys. But I’ve read some of the grand jury documents and have been struck by the fact that many priests abused young schoolgirls as well. Yet this new instruction from the Vatican seems to give a free pass to heterosexuals who have been sexually active.

The only rational response is to reflect on how insane church leaders have become. In the last several decades they have failed miserably whenever they have been asked to solve problems and move the faithful on to greater commitment. They have consistently insulted married couples with the birth control issue, ignored the legitimate aspirations of priests and women, and now seek a new role as sex police.

I hope that gay priests and their gay bishops will choose not to run or hide but instead, as some suggest, call a strike, a work stoppage. The American Catholic clergy needs to send a strong message to Pope Benedict: Tear down this wall of prejudice! Catholic clergy everywhere should declare the new regulations dead on arrival at every seminary and diocese. It may be the last chance the church has to save itself from becoming completely irrelevant.

The testimony of Donald Bondick, and that of other victims/survivors/family members/supporters, was courageous and powerful. Fr. Tom Doyle and Patrick Wall also spoke with their expertise and conviction evident from their first words. Several survivors spoke for the first time in public.

A survivor and his mother from the VOTF Dayton affiliate were the last to speak on November 22. They very much understand that what’s said last has the power of staying with attendees. They have been passionate in this cause. Something very interesting happened before their testimony: the Chair of the Committee excused himself from presiding and passed the gavel to a colleague. He left the committee seating area and came forward into the center of the room and shook the hands of the survivor – David Hoehne and his mother Ginny Hoehne. His colleagues waited for a few moments until the Chair returned to his place and the hearing continued.

While we in this movement know of the pain the survivors and their families carry, it takes the survivors fortitude to keep bringing this knowledge to those who have the power to create good public policy. Our gratitude to them cannot be measured.

There will be a day for opponents of this legislation. Sadly, we expect that the Bishops of the six dioceses of Ohio will testify, most likely through their attorney and lobbyist, in opposition to this bill.

For your prayers and for all you do to keep the faith and change the Church, this comes with gratitude, and a wish for a happy and faith filled Advent.

In a Mother’s Words

When the Portland, Maine diocese settled Marie Tupper’s case against the diocese, Marie released a statement excerpted below:

Two years ago, and for the first time in 25 years, my son revealed to me that Rev. Thomas Lee sexually molested him when he was a toddler. My mother (my son’s grandmother) worked for Lee as his housekeeper at the parish rectory. When I visited my mother at the rectory, Lee would ask if he could take my son into his office. I did not know then that Lee was abusing my child.

My grief and sadness for what Lee did to my only child has been overwhelming. I filed a lawsuit against the Diocese of Portland after my requests for Bishop Joseph Gerry and Bishop Richard Malone to tell the truth to the public about my son’s abuser were repeatedly ignored. I want other victims to know the truth.

During settlement negotiations for this lawsuit, I asked Bishop Malone over and over again to help Lee’s victims. I asked him to make public the number of allegations brought against Lee. I asked Bishop Malone to go to all the parishes where Lee served (including Maine Youth Center). I asked him to stand at the pulpit and speak clearly, forcefully and candidly to the parishioners. I want him to tell the truth about Lee’s abuse of children.

It is irresponsible for Bishop Malone to keep making excuses by saying that he can’t tell the truth about Lee’s abuse because “Lee’s case has been forwarded to Rome for further investigation.” The bishop knows that Lee abused children. … Victims who hear the truth about what Lee did to children may begin to say, “That happened to me too.” It is an opportunity for them to find the courage and strength to begin talking about their shameful secret.

I tried as hard as I could to make Bishop Malone understand how important it is for him to tell the truth to the public about Lee’s abuse of children. I tried as hard as I could to get Bishop Malone to do these simple things that can help so many victims. Unfortunately, Bishop Malone would not agree to do any of these things.

NEWS from National

Convocation Implementation Team/National Representative Council Report

Campaign 2006 Taking Shape

VOTF leaders are putting the final touches on what is expected to be VOTF's primary focus in 2006. The process begun in Indianapolis in July has produced nine resolutions, reviews by members and affiliate leaders, drafts of action plans, and feedback from VOTF's national officers and National Representative Council. The membership's cry for focused, coordinated actions has been heard and responsible options have been evaluated against the Indianapolis resolutions. These activities are being coordinated by the Convocation Implementation Team (CIT), which was given the job of ensuring that the ideas from Indianapolis were translated into focused and specific operational plans communicated clearly to affiliates and members for implementation. Affiliates are reviewing the revised plans in December and evaluating local applicability. The goal is to develop a coordinated national effort, with "template" plans that can be used for regional and local action as well. It is expected that Campaign 2006 will be formally launched in January.

The CIT will be supporting this first-time national effort by providing affiliates and members coordinated and consistent assistance through this campaign.

A note on the showing of “Twist of Faith” –

On November 13, 2005, the eve of the Bishops’ annual meeting in Washington, DC, the Northern Virginia affiliate (VOTF-NoVA) held a screening of the HBO Academy Award-nominated documentary, Twist of Faith. About sixty members of VOTF affiliates in the Washington metropolitan area and other interested guests watched the documentary in a public library, just a few miles from where the Bishops were gathering.

After the screening, attendees had the opportunity to share their reactions with national leaders of VOTF and SNAP who were in town for the Bishops’ meeting— Kris Ward and Gaile Pohlhaus (National Vice-President and Secretary respectively), Ray Joyce (Executive Director), David Clohessy and Mary Grant (SNAP Executive Director and National Director respectively). Despite all of the numbing revelations of abuse and cover-up since 2002, viewers were visibly anguished by the long-term effects of the abuse and of Church leaders’ stonewalling on Tony Comes, the survivor whose life is portrayed in the documentary, as well as on his family, his community, and his faith.

In the name of the five metropolitan area affiliates, Evelyn Mercantini, co-leader of VOTF-NoVA presented an Award of Courage to Tony Comes. Since Tony’s duties as a firefighter precluded him from accepting the award in person, David Clohessy accepted the award on his behalf.

The documentary serves as a powerful counterpoint to Episcopal claims that the abuse crisis is behind the Church. VOTF-NoVA scheduled the screening on this date as a witness to the life-long struggles of survivors to recover. Bill Casey

NATIONAL Communications Update –

Executive Director Ray Joyce announced the hiring of John Moynihan as Communications Manager for National VOTF with an emphasis on the press. John has served as interim manager since the Convocation in July.

From John Moynihan: VOTF affiliate leaders via regional coordinators have been advised of a new initiative in communications that will identify VOTF spokespeople at the affiliate level. We will commence in December with discussions on Wednesday Dec 7 @ 7:00 pm EST and Dec 8 @ 8:00 pm EST. Please choose the one that is most convenient to you and get back to me at jmoynihan@votf.org. I will email you prior to the date with an agenda and instructions on how to access the VOTF Conference Call system.

Discussions will be held on a monthly basis. Hopefully there will be a “Wednesday night group” and a “Thursday night group” so that we might build a sense of community among us, but occasional shifting between groups would be anticipated when schedules demand.

Affiliate Alerts

VOTF members frequently pass on local/regional news items that point to the need for continued vigilance in the protection of children. We note three of these below. Please also see the West Suburban Boston, MA affiliate’s Nov. 17 meeting minutes for a substantive accounting of where state and local efforts merge in the shared work of protecting children. Go to XXXXXXXX (waiting for PV response).

VOTF Naperville, IL member Dee O’Neal alerted us to a disturbing development in the Joliet diocese as reported in the Chicago Tribune: “A clinical psychologist who reviewed sexual abuse complaints for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet has resigned amid allegations that he molested two brothers when he worked for the DuPage County Health Department almost 30 years ago.” Go to ; additional disturbing news comes from Phoenix, AZ “The only Valley Catholic priest to risk trial on child abuse charges paid dearly Thursday when a jury found him guilty of six sex crimes that carry an 81-year minimum sentence.” Go to Southwest Valley Republic ; and another priest meets the hand of the law in Barnstable, MA. Read more.

WALKING the TALK in Philadelphia

[From VOTF member Dick Taylor: Whereas VOTF members participated, this was not a VOTF-sponsored event. About 100 people came with signs and rainbow banners. Among the participants were

gays and straights, Catholics, Protestants, Jews and non-affiliated people. We stood along the seminary fence by the entrance and prayed in silence (with a bell tolling) for those inside -- the Rector, the Apostolic Visitors, seminarians, faculty -- that their minds might be opened to greater truth, their hearts to greater compassion and their consciences to greater responsibility. The overall theme was that the bishops need to take responsibility for their cover-up of sex abuse, rather than blaming the crisis on gays. At the end, we had an open mike for anyone to share further thoughts or prayers. Among many stirring moments, a Jewish transgendered teenager asked for prayers for Church leaders. We closed with a Quaker participant leading us in a lovely song.

My hope is that people around the country will find the itinerary of the Apostolic Visitation and greet them in a similar way when they come to town.]

A group gathered in a peaceful demonstration on Nov. 27 from 1-2 pm at the gate of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood. Notice was short since the organizers had just found out about the Apostolic Visitation two days earlier. Examiners arrived Nov. 27 and will stay one week.

The purpose of the gathering was to “express our profound dismay at the Catholic Church's linking of the clergy sex abuse crisis to homosexuality. Although the Visitation is to examine various aspects of priestly formation, the “Instrumentum Laboris” which spells out the process clearly, asks “Is there evidence of homosexuality in the seminary? (this question must be answered.)” It also mandates that the moral doctrine taught at the seminary must conform to the Vatican's document, “The Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons,” which called homosexuality “an objective disorder” and a “tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil.”

The organizers agreed with Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton's warning that a major fallout of the clerical sexual abuse crisis and the bishops' disastrous cover-ups "is the scapegoating of homosexual priests and seminarians."

Concerns for a permit to demonstrate were met by the Lower Merion Police who noted the constitutional right to such peaceful protest, so long as vehicular or pedestrian traffic would not be blocked and profanity would not be used. The Seminary Rector was advised (an excerpt from the letter sent to Rev. Prior is below), as well as the press, about the demonstration.

Most of us are Catholics, but all those gathering on the 27th will be expressing our profound dismay at the way the Church is linking the clergy/bishops' sex abuse crisis to homosexuality. We agree with Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton that "one major fallout of the current crisis of leadership in the Catholic Church is the scapegoating of homosexual priests and seminarians" (America, 9/30/02, pg. 10). We are appalled (although no longer surprised) that Church leaders, who covered up sexual abuse and thereby vastly increased the number of children who were grievously harmed, would try to shift blame from their own shoulders to homosexuals, a vulnerable group, already marginalized by our society. Jesus spent time with the outcasts of his day; Church leadership seems intent on condemning and blaming them for the leadership's own sins. This even though we are sure that Church leaders - intelligent men all-must realize that there is no connection between homosexuality and sexual abuse. The abuse problem is not caused by homosexual priests, but by seriously underdeveloped, mentally and morally ill priests, and by the bishops who covered up their crimes.

Many of us know wonderful, dedicated gay priests who are true to their vows and who serve others with compassion and fidelity. Will the Catholic leadership's next step be to expel them from the priesthood? We can only imagine the devastating effect on them of the Church's increasingly harsh attitude toward homosexuality. Do we really want to deprive the Church of the blessed ministry of priests - yes, and of bishops - who are gay?

This harshness, which shows nothing of the love of Jesus Christ, only contributes to the homophobia so prevalent in our society. When bishops condemn gays, ordinary people are more likely to harass and discriminate against them; bigots feel more of a license to mistreat, even to kill them, as has happened.

We appeal to you to help turn the Church away from this disastrous, scapegoating course.

ADVENT PRAYER FOR CHILDREN

Response: O SON OF MAN save the children of humanity!

O Son of Man, you had nowhere to lay your head. Give a safe and comfortable home to all children. R.

O Son of Man, you and your disciples fled from city to city. Give refuge to all children who flee persecution and injustice.R.

O Son of Man, you said to the paralytic "Get up, pick up your bed and go home." Give medical care and hospitality to all children who are sick and dying. R.

O Son of Man, you came eating and drinking. Fill the starving children with good things. Give them safe water to drink. R.

O Son of Man, you are the Lord of the Sabbath. Give freedom to all children who labor in sweat shops. R.

O Son of Man delivered into the hands of men, deliver the children who are victims of sexual or physical abuse from the hands of their perpetrators. R.

O Son of Man send forth your angels. Throw out of your kingdom all those who commit lawlessness against children. R.

O Son of Man betrayed, expose all those who have betrayed our children. Bring them out into the light of truth and justice. R.

O Son of Man coming in your kingdom, grant that children who have experienced physical and sexual abuse will not taste death before they see your justice and truth dawn. R.

O Son of Man, you spent three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Grant everlasting life to all children who die in poverty, abandonment or abuse. R.

O Son of Man, sitting at the right hand of power, coming on the clouds of heaven! R.

A Flawed and Disordered Document

From Rev. Thomas J. O’Brien, SJ – November 29, 2005

I am coming out as a gay, chaste Jesuit priest because it hurts too much not to.
I deeply love the Church and the Jesuits.
I have experienced unconditional love from Cardinal Maida in granting me permission to function as a priest in this Archdiocese.
I have experienced unconditional love from my Jesuit brothers—especially those who know me well.
I have experienced unconditional love from my friends and family.

Being a priest in the Society of Jesus has been a joy for me. I have found it to be life-giving and a vehicle through which I can love God and neighbor. I love the Catholic Church. It is only this issue that disturbs me profoundly and I feel moved by the Holy Spirit to speak out.

I understand that the document concerning seminary visitations is a response to the request of the American Bishops as they try to come to grips with the sex abuse scandal. However, I believe this document will do more harm than good in the long run, and, in fact, is a kind of smoke-screen to say that the official church has “done something.”

First and foremost, some officials of the Church need to apologize to the victims and all the Catholic faithful for this incredible breach of trust. I’ve not heard any apologies coming forth. Indeed, Cardinal Law of Boston was promoted to a major church in Rome.

The group that began in Boston, Voice of the Faithful, seeks to aid victims of sexual abuse by priests, brothers and sisters. The local group here in Detroit has found it very difficult to minister to these victims because they are, understandably, so full of rage at what officials of the Church have done to them. They need and deserve ministry, compensation and an official apology. Having been sexually abused myself by a young man who was a neighbor to me, I have some understanding of how their lives have been so disrupted.

The document “Concerning the criteria of vocational discernment regarding persons with homosexual tendencies in view of their admission to seminaries and ordination” from the Congregation for Catholic Education Instruction, will not help the victims or prevent further abuse. Rather, the document has almost equated pedophilia with being gay. Statistics on the number of gay priests is in dispute. However, it’s clear that the vast majority of gay priests live chaste lives. Pedophiles can be, and in fact have been, heterosexual as well as homosexual. And we know that most sexual abuse occurs in the home.

I find the document flawed in particular ways:

1. It requires three years of a chaste life by homosexuals applying to Catholic seminaries. It says nothing about requiring chastity from heterosexual applicants.
2. The document invades the sacred privacy of the internal forum of spiritual direction. The same sacred confidentiality of the confessional has always been applied to spiritual direction. But the document now wants to insert a specific agenda into this privileged relationship between two people.
3. It reaffirms its judgment that homosexual tendencies are “objectively disordered.” Being homosexual “obstructs (them) from properly relating to men and women.” There is plentiful evidence that this is not true. Lesbian sisters and gay brothers and priests have, indeed, been models of relating to people—especially to the disenfranchised and excluded of society.
4. The document prohibits anyone from “support(ing) the so-called gay culture.” Does this mean that I cannot support civil rights for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender people and transsexual individuals? Jesus taught us that God loves all people. Indeed in his ministry, Christ reached out to those excluded by the Jewish religious leaders of his day. Perhaps the most striking example of this can be found in the healing of the Roman Centurion’s daughter.
5. The document declares that it would be “gravely dishonest (for an applicant to a seminary) to hide his own homosexuality.” Given the consequences of revealing himself to be gay, what other choice would there be for someone who wants to be a priest and happens to be gay?

This document re-affirms the teaching of the Church that simply being gay is “objectively disordered.” All Christians believe that, as Psalm 139 says, “God knit us together in our mothers’ wombs.” Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and transsexual individuals have experienced “being different” from other people at a very young age. The human struggle of coming to terms with their sexuality is common for both heterosexuals as well as homosexuals.

This document reveals a fundamentally disordered view of gender and sexual orientation. It forces many people to hide the fact that they are gay. This is popularly known as being “in the closet.” How many popes have been gay? How many cardinals and bishops have been gay? Since this is such an embarrassing topic to church officials, they simply don’t speak about it. Scholars such as Jeannine Gramick and Thomas Thurston have documented evidence of gay and lesbian church officials throughout history.

I understand with great compassion why gay priests and brothers and lesbian sisters stay “in the closet.” Acknowledging their sexual orientation could carry terrible consequences for such individuals. Those people of courage who have spoken about their sexual orientation have been silenced by church officials.

Thankfully, God is greater than any religion or any church. Thankfully, God’s love for all people is the foundation of Jesus’ teaching and ministry. And, thankfully, organizations such as Dignity have supported, encouraged and deepened the spiritual faith of thousands of people over the years by providing them with a safe place where they can worship as Catholics with others who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and transsexual.

I love the Church. I ardently desire to continue ministry as a priest in the Society of Jesus and in the Archdiocese of Detroit.