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From
The Tidings, the weekly newspaper of the Archdiocese of Los
Angeles, August 21, 1998
Homosexuality
and the Church
What the church teaches, what it doesn’t teach, and why
you need to know.
By Rev. Peter J.
Liuzzi, O. Carm.
Editor’s note: Carmelite Father Peter J. Liuzzi is the director
of the Los
Angeles Archdiocese’s Office of Lesbian and Gay Ministry.
A noted speaker, he is the author of a forthcoming book from Paulist
Press titled, "With Listening Hearts." This is part one
of a two-part series. Part
two will appear next week.
It is no secret; homosexuality is a burning issue in today's world.
A reality that was only whispered years ago, is now the talk of
the town. Homosexuality is a household word whether that household
is liberal or conservative. I can count on my hand the number of
people who do not have strong opinions on the subject. And the conversation
and all of the controversy have found their way into our Catholic
church.
There was a time most of you remember when the subject of homosexuality
was simply a secret and a shameful sin. There never was any need
felt to speak about it in a homily. There was one place where it
could be talked about and that was the confessional. Those days
are gone forever. You may well hear about homosexuality in your
pulpit, and some of what you hear could be very upsetting, depending
on your own knowledge of the subject and your attitude toward gay
and lesbian persons. And there are other factors that may shape
your attitude and level of comfort such as your ethnicity, your
family, your own experiences and whether you actually know any homosexual
persons.
You may or may not know that our own ministry with gay and lesbian
Catholics in the Los Angeles Archdiocese was founded by Cardinal
Roger Mahony over 12 years ago. You may or may not know that there
are parishes that are quite welcoming and inclusive of lesbian and
gay Catholics. It is amazing to me how many people have still not
even heard of this ministry in our archdiocese. For those who have
heard, many are pleased. However, some think the ministry is merely
a token of concern that hides indifference and fear. And a few others
see no need for such an outreach, condemning the ministry as the
beginning of the end of our church.
Some liberal Catholics think that everything the church has ever
said about homosexuality is simply outdated and wrong. Some more
conservative Catholics hold that the only place in our church for
homosexuality is the confessional. Others in that same camp would
hold that homosexuality is something for the psychiatrist’s
couch. But the majority of Catholics find themselves in a tension
between fidelity to the church’s clear teachings and a true
concern for homosexual persons and their plight. That care often
extends to a concern for parents who have gay children. Typically,
such concern is based on a close relationship with a homosexual
relative or friend.
I have observed that many people who have strong opinions on homosexuality
regard those who hold opposite views as enemies. There is a vociferous
minority of Catholics who seem to have zero tolerance for any kind
of outreach to homosexual people that is not marked by a rigidity
and a severity quite uncommon to our Catholic tradition. I sometimes
get the feeling that the whole question about homosexuality is something
that could easily be one of those factors that could divide and
destroy the church. My fears are augmented when I encounter persons
of ultra-right or ultra-left tendencies.
Extreme positions of any kind certainly are not typical of our Catholic
tradition and so often exhibit a militancy that only stands in the
way of the church being able to deal with such a delicate issue.
What is particularly tragic is finding the church giving into pressures
exerted by such groups. In the end, it is the homosexual Catholic
who suffers; it is the relationship of gay child and parents that
is weakened; and, it is family unity that is threatened.
And, in subtle ways clarity of doctrine gives way to confusion and
the credibility of the teaching office of our church is also undermined.
I have known and ministered with gay Catholics for most of my priestly
life. I have directed the archdiocesan ministry for the last nine
years, appointed to this task by Cardinal Mahony. I speak out of
that long experience.
Homosexuality is not an abstract idea. Homosexuality is always connected
to persons. The proper context for homosexuality is the family because
all homosexual persons are born into families who have parents and
siblings who are called to love and care for one another. The proper
context for homosexuality is also the church, which is God’s
family. The church has made a solemn and public commitment to all
the baptized, including those who happen to be homosexual. The church
has doctrinal and moral teachings that give shape and direction
to homosexual persons. For these and other reasons, it is never
appropriate for us to simply dismiss lesbian and gay Catholics from
our church.
I feel called and graced to do this ministry. I root my concern
in the present teachings of our church. I am also ready to embrace
whatever else the church may teach about this subject in the future.
Being well-versed in our teachings, does not mean that I always
find those teachings convincing or obvious or compelling. I believe
because I am a member of a believing and teaching church and a community
of faith that invites all of us to avoid excessive individualization.
Where are you? Where is the church?
I would like to lay down some guidelines for controversial questions
in the church which I hope will not only enable our conversation,
but will help define our role and our contribution in the conversation.
Controversy is normative in the life of the church. "Who do
men say that I am?" "You have heard it said..., but what
I say to you is...." And Mary asked the Angel: "How can
this be?" "On the way they were arguing over who was the
greatest...?" There is controversy in the church because there
are no PhD’s in discipleship. There is controversy because
we can never exhaust the mysteries of faith.
When a question rages in the church, there is going to be a response
from conservatives and liberals. But let us define our terms. A
true conservative is one whose energy is directed toward preserving
and protecting the mysteries of faith. A true liberal is one whose
energy is directed toward a deeper understanding of the mysteries
of faith. One should not be ashamed of being liberal or conservative.
Interaction between liberals and conservatives is essential to a
healthy church. A church governed by pure liberals would be nothing
more than a debating club, not a community of faith. A church governed
by pure conservatives leads to dogmatic fundamentalism, rather than
a living faith. The trick is in how to balance the two.
Liberals and conservatives must be anchored in what I call the "radical
center." The radical center is Scripture and Tradition. Scripture
and Tradition are not ends in themselves; they point us in the direction
of the Risen Lord who stands in our midst as Lord and teacher. The
radical center is always the place of departure when we journey
in faith. It is also where we return with some new knowledge or
development of doctrine once the controversy is resolved. Both conservative
and liberal instinctively know that in any controversy, one can
only go so far to the right-of-center or so far left-of-center before
one finds one's self cut off from either Scripture or Tradition.
It is for this reason that liberals and conservatives should always
be listening to and speaking to one another. What seems to be happening
today is that the natural and healthy tensions between liberals
and conservatives have degenerated into polarization. Polarization
can destroy the church.
One can move toward polarization by losing sight of the issue and
allowing it be be replaced with one’s own agenda. Consider
the following two statements.
"One cannot speak of a total acceptance of gay people into
the church until the church recognizes a gay marriage."
"Homosexuality is a sin; there is no need for any special ministry
for something so contrary to nature."
Statements such as these bespeak agendas well-defended by anger,
fear, rigidity and no sense of humor. Those who make such statements
also proclaim to be "prophetic" or "orthodox."
In truth, such rigidity is costly because it inevitably sets the
groundwork for heresy and schism. What is not appreciated is that
the groundwork for serious error and division in the church can
be caused by either extreme conservatives or extreme liberals. And
what seems chronic in our church is a tendency to favor extremes
that come from conservatism. Such an imbalance is at best naive.
What the church teaches
With regard to the controversy around homosexuality in our church,
it is essential to know what the church teaches and what it clearly
does not teach.
Homosexuality is a highly complex reality which does not lend itself
to simple solutions. The final word about homosexuality has yet
to be spoken by the church. In any recent documents on the subject,
it is important to realize that nothing we have been taught about
human sexuality has changed. What is changing is the church’s
attitude toward persons with a homosexual orientation.
The church clearly recognizes that some people do have a homosexual
orientation. Scientific research provides various theories that
attempt to explain the origins of such an orientation. No hard and
fast conclusions have come forth at this moment. Homosexuality remains
a fact; its origins remain a mystery. Since the church lives with
the fact, it is obvious that homosexuality is more than a matter
of sin and confession. Being different in orientation demands a
more complete pastoral care and understanding of homosexual persons.
So what is the church now teaching?
What is homosexuality? The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:
"Homosexuality refers to relations between men and between
women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction
towards persons of the same sex." This definition is important.
"Relations," "experience," "exclusive,"
"attraction" are positive words and no mention is made
here of sexual activity. In the mind of the church, homosexuality
does not assume sexual activity. Homosexuality is also a way of
relating, feeling and experiencing oneself in relationship to others
- both men and women. Unwarranted assumptions of sexual activity
often stand in the way of dialogue and understanding. It also sends
a message that undermines the clear teaching of the church.
The church clearly teaches that homosexual orientation is not a
choice, but something that one discovers. What is a choice is the
style of life one chooses to live. No one - including the highest
authorities of our church - knows for certain what are the origins
of homosexuality. But please be informed that various theories are
now highly politicized by the left and right.
Pastorally, I think it is helpful and sound to keep in mind that
the church takes no official position on the origins of homosexuality
at this time. We may choose whatever explanation we like, but to
impose that theory on lesbian and gay persons or to pressure the
church to accept one theory over another or to give the impression
that a particular approach is "Catholic" only adds to
polarization and a deepening of our distance from our gay and lesbian
Catholics.
Next week: Can homosexuality
be "cured," as some Christian groups claim? What challenges
do Catholic homosexuals face in living the faith?
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