A Pastoral Question

From Fr James Martin, SJ at his America Magazine blog:

Here's a real pastoral question to consider: What place is there for the gay person in the Catholic church?
....

Imagine you are a devout Catholic who is also gay. Here is a list of the things that you are not to do, according to the teaching of the church.

1.) Enjoy romantic love.

2.) Marry.

3.) Adopt a child.

4.) Enter a seminary.

5.) Work for the church and be open.

At the same time, if you are a devout Catholic who is attentive both to church teachings and the public pronouncements of church leaders, you will be reminded that you are "objectively disordered," and your sexuality is "a deviation, an irregularity a wound."
....

What kind of life remains for these brothers and sisters in Christ, those who wish to follow the teachings of the church? Officially at least, the gay Catholic seems set up to lead a lonely, loveless, secretive life. Is this what God desires for the gay person? (My emphasis)

And later I read in another post at Fr Martin's blog:

The leader of the Catholic hierarchy in the United States on Monday launched a new effort to rein in Catholic debates and dissidents and to remind the flock that the bishops will be the arbiters of what it means to be a Catholic.

In remarks at the opening of the hierarchy's annual meeting in Baltimore, Chicago Cardinal Francis George made it clear that after years of repeated questions about the bishops' credibility, it was time for the bishops to clarify just who can and cannot speak for the church. He also confirmed that he had set up three committees of bishops to develop guidelines for determining what will be considered legitimate Catholic entities. (My emphasis)

...

Church insiders said the divisions and open dissents, and the criticisms that often bombarded the bishops from right and left, increasingly frustrated George and others in the church leadership, and led George to quietly form several committees that will try to find a way to certify which universities, media, and other organizations can claim to be Catholic.

It seems to me that Fr Martin answers his own questions about pastoral care and ministry to LGTB folks (not in so many words, but by implication simply by his manner of asking the questions) in the Roman Catholic Church and perhaps puts himself in the position of being a critic of the official policy of his church. If Fr Martin and others at the magazine continue to write in this fashion, will America Magazine pass muster with the committees set up to define "legitimate Catholic entities".

Fr Martin adds, "But several bishops and church officials I spoke with doubted whether George's desire to implement the certifying committees would gain any traction among the bishops."

I don't know whether Cardinal Goerge's suggestions for setting up the investigating committees will be implemented. I've admired America over a period of time for its often well-written, thought-provoking, and sometimes edgy writing, and I wonder about its fate if the committees come into being. How will the church distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate "Catholic entities"? Will there be a list like the old Roman Catholic Index of Forbidden Books (which, by the way, moved quite a few books to best-sellerdom once their titles were placed on the list) to guard the faithful Roman Catholics from confusion?

As some wise person, whose name I've forgotten said of the Anglican Communion in the midst of its internal controversies, what the Archbishop of Canterbury and the churches in the Communion need to be doing now is loosening the reins, rather than attempting to tighten them. It seems to me that the very same suggestion would work quite well at the present time for the Roman Catholic Church.

Thanks to my friend Fran for calling my attention to Fr Martin's blog post on ministry to LGTB persons. Fr Martin is associate editor of America Magazine.