The blessing of a chaste life
The pastoral care of homosexual persons
Bishop Olmstead, Phoenix, AZ
Second in a Series
A few weeks ago, I sent a letter to some priests of the Diocese of Phoenix,
asking them to withdraw their support from a public statement entitled “No
Longer Silent Phoenix Declaration.” The letter was intended to be personal and
confidential because I had hoped to engage these brother priests in a
person-to-person conversation about the pastoral care of homosexual persons,
without the distraction of publicity. To my disappointment, news of the letter
was leaked to the press. While not making my fraternal dialogue with these
priests impossible, the leak has made it more difficult.
Nonetheless, I have been able to engage the majority in substantial
conversations about this important pastoral matter. And I am grateful that
most, in accordance with my request, have withdrawn their support from the
declaration. I continue to hope and pray that the others will do the same.
Since portions of my letter have become public, I have decided, for the sake
of accuracy and fairness to all, to publish it in its entirety in this same
issue of The Catholic Sun. I would like also, in this part of my series on the
“Blessing of a Chaste Life,” to write about the pastoral care of homosexual
persons: what not to do and what to do.
What not to do
- Do not see those with homosexual inclinations as
problems but as persons, persons whom Jesus redeemed by His Cross, persons
called to holiness, persons with an inviolable dignity and an eternal
destiny bestowed on them by God, persons like you and me, persons who have
a welcome place in our Church.
- Do not condone homosexual activity or fail to teach
clearly that it, along with all sexual activity outside of marriage, is
seriously wrong. We should not presume that others know that homosexual
behavior is wrong. Our silence about it could reinforce that mistaken
notion.
- Do not support any group such as No Longer Silent or
Dignity that fails to uphold clearly the teachings of the Bible and the
Church on homosexual acts and homosexual persons. We cannot help one
another along the path of conversion and union with Christ if we deny the
truth.
What to do
- Lend encouragement to groups like Courage that offer
support to homosexual persons in their vocation to holiness, and who do
this in full conformity with the teachings of the Church.
- Be well informed about the teachings of our Catholic
Christian faith on this topic. Read what the Catechism of the Catholic
Church says about this topic (#2357-2359). Read the Letter of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to the Bishops of the Catholic
Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons. Read good books on this
topic such as those by Fr. John Harvey: e.g. “The Homosexual Person” and
“Truth about Homosexuality.”
- Should you be aware of persons who have homosexual
inclinations, accept them as brothers and sisters in Christ and support
them by authentic love and prayer.
- Should persons you know be engaged in homosexual
activity, look for an opportunity to invite them back to the faithful
practice of a life of abstinence, assure them of the power of God’s mercy
to forgive and to bring fresh hope, and pray for their conversion.
Christ calls us all to on-going conversion of
life; so our prayers for conversion encompass ourselves as well as others.
These are only a few of the do’s and don’ts of a
full program of pastoral care of homosexual persons. The books and documents
mentioned above can provide a more encompassing program. As I stated in my
letter to my brother priests who signed the declaration, our relationship with
homosexual persons needs to be that of Christ, one that offers full and
fraternal acceptance of each person as made in the image of God and one that is
animated by both truth and charity. When carried out with the help of the Holy
Spirit, it can help us all to grow to full maturity in Christ.
-- Bill Nelson (bnelson45-nospam@hotmail.com), May 19, 2004