“So then we must let the words of Jesus stand in all their severity and ruggedness. Any mitigation, however well intentioned, is an attack on His moral mission.” ~ Rudolph Schnackenburg (As quoted by Fr. Benedict Groeschel in his Introduction to “The Truth About Homosexuality: The Cry of the Faithful” by Fr. John F. Harvey.)
The recent Vatican Synod on the family, marriage, and homosexuality made some rather interesting statements regarding the current problem of same-sex attraction and gay marriage. (see an earlier blog: http://www.josephsciambra.com/2014/10/family-synod-statement-on-homosexuality.html) For the most part, I found the document troubling in this particular area. Although, I am not a theologian, I do have some experience in this subject: both as a former gay man and as a Catholic missionary to the gay community – both here in San Francisco and on the World Wide Web. In that capacity, I find that the vast majority of active homosexuals consciously eschew anything which might curtail their supposed freedoms, i.e. the open and free ability to publicly express their sexuality, and instinctively latch on to anything which they see as supportive. In my own former life, I devoured the works of ex-Catholic lesbian scholar Camille Paglia who praised gay men as “heroic;” while on the “Christian” intellectual front, I loved John Boswell’s pseudo-historical study “Same Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe.” Regardless of their inaccuracies, I sought out these academics, books, and harbingers of gay exceptionalism, because as a newly initiated homosexual, I wanted to somehow fuse my new found religion with that of my old (a borderline heretical Catholic education that openly espoused everything from abortion to Liberation Theology.) In the end, I gave Jesus Christ up completely, as I honestly knew that it could never really happen. With that in mind, the Synod statement is open to wide variation in interpretations. For instance, after the release of the statement, Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, a pro-gay “Catholic” ministry that was officially condemned by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1999, said: “I think what we’re seeing is a crack in the ice that we have been waiting for, for a very long time. It's a sign of a first step.” Most distressingly, he continued: “I think the change in language starts a chain reaction: A change in language will bring a change in pastoral practice which will bring about a change in teaching.”
On the surface, this gross misunderstanding can be sloughed off as the bewildered machinations of a militant homosexual, but, to me, and to many others in the Church, it does matter – what he, and many like him – think. For, these are the people that the statement is supposedly targeting. Yet, even though the intention is extremely noble, the effect is dangerous. For instance, sorrowfully, I am still fielding numerous questions and distortions concerning the now famous “Who am I to judge” remark from Pope Francis. While I am not faulting the Holy Father for this accurate and charitable answer to a very specific question posed by a reporter, however, it does speak directly to the caution which must always accompany any outreach to the gay community: no matter how unplanned or spontaneous; but, especially with regards to written statements. This attentiveness must be practiced because of the gay mind-set; which few from outside the homosexual world understand, is extremely susceptible to manipulation and a kind-of megalithic group-think. To be extremely brief, as homosexuals, the vast majority of us were severely wounded as children, either through a neglectful or absent parent or stemming from abuse by an older authority figure. As we grow older, unless healed, we carry all that with us into adulthood. Consequently, in gay males, we are inherently distrustful of father figures, but, at the same time, also deeply long for their love and approval. The Catholic Church, with its male-only hierarchy and larger than life head (the Pope) endlessly revolts and fascinates gay men. We want the Church, which stands in for our birth-fathers, to accept us, but only on our own terms.
Going forward, the quote so expertly sourced by Fr. Groeschel in his superb Forward to “The Truth About Homosexuality” is so very important: the Catholic teachings with regards to homosexuality are indeed challenging, most notably for those who suffer with the condition, but, they are also the words of Christ – as handed down to us through the Apostles and the Magisterium of the Church; and, they are precisely what our gay brothers and sisters need to hear. As someone who talks, and is among them, on a daily basis, they are literally inundated with people, ministries, outreaches, faith-communities, and organizations which want to endlessly support them in their every life choice – not matter how detrimental those choices may be to their body, mind, and spirit. What they lack, and this is specifically why they are drawn to the work God has given me, is someone that challenges them. Because, when I engage them, they couldn’t care less about my former life in pornography, as most have done more sexually adventurous things than I during the 20 years since I left the business, but are totally enthralled by the fact that I no longer have sex; or even masturbate. It’s the unfiltered Truth of Catholicism that is captivating. It doesn’t have to be repackaged or made pastorally sensitive. And, this is what the Church must always be – a lone voice of Truth amidst a cacophony of screams.