Abbey-Roads2

It is such a long tedious story…

A lesbian and her dad wrote a book.  They were scheduled to give a talk at a dissident parish.  The Archdiocese said no - they cannot speak on Church property.  The talk was cancelled and held at another location.  A local gay activist wrote a letter of protest - about the cancellation and lack of dialogue between pro-gay Catholics and the archdiocese.  Then the Archbishop stepped up to the plate and responded to the situation.

What?

Yes, Archbishop Nienstedt actually addressed the problem head on - he wrote a response in the diocesan news paper.  The gay activist, Michael Bayly responded on his blog and on the local television news  tonight.  (It’s turning into a sort of dialogue now, right?) 

Michael Bayly said:

For both Archbishop Nienstedt and Fr. Livingston (NB: Fr. Livingston is the chaplain for Courage), it seems that the church’s only valid pastoral response to “persons with same-sex attractions” is the national apostolate Courage, which for the past ten years has had a branch in the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis that goes by the name of Faith in Action. “Every meeting [of Faith in Action],” Fr. Livingston writes, “takes place with a priest chaplain and includes the opportunity for private confession.” - Mr. Bayly

Archbishop Nienstedt said:

• Those who actively encourage or promote homosexual acts or such activity within a homosexual lifestyle formally cooperate in a grave evil and, if they do so knowingly and willingly, are guilty of mortal sin. They have broken communion with the church and are prohibited from receiving holy Communion until they have had a conversion of heart, expressed sorrow for their action and received sacramental absolution from a priest. - Archbishop Nienstedt 

[Now remember, this whole thing started over a speaking engagement at the Church of St. Frances Cabrini in Minneapolis.]

Michael wrote:

In the November 1 issue of The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis, editor Joe Towalski discussed what the Church “really teaches” about homosexuality. Towalski’s editorial was in response to the archdiocese’s October 22 decision to prohibit 82-year-old “cradle-Catholic” Robert Curoe and his lesbian daughter Carol from speaking at a CPCSM-sponsored event at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church. (To read more about this, click here and here.)

Towalski’s editorial reiterates the official church teaching on the immorality of “homosexual activity,” and reaffirms the catechism’s call for homosexuals to be “accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity.”

The editorial also directs people to the 1997 U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop’s statement, Always Our Children – a statement that encourages parents to “accept and love” themselves and their gay son or daughter, and to do all that they can to “urge [their] son or daughter to stayed joined to the Catholic faith community.”

As executive coordinator of the 27-year-old Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities (CPCSM), I wrote and submitted a “counter-point commentary” to The Catholic Spirit in response to Towalski’s November 1 editorial.

My friend Paula Ruddy submitted a letter-to-the-editor. Neither was published in subsequent issues of the newspaper. Upon inquiring why this was the case, we were informed that it was not possible for The Catholic Spirit to serve as a forum for dialogue around church teachings. - Mr. Bayly

And then the Archbishop wrote:

• At their special assembly in Denver from June 14 to 19, 2004, just before the last presidential election, the U.S. bishops issued a document (see Origins, July 1, 2004, Vol. 34, no. 7) clarifying the role of Catholic politicians with respect to their stands on moral issues within the public arena. The second to last point of that document was our collective resolve that Catholic churches, colleges and other institutions should not give “awards, honors or platforms” to persons who, whether Catholic or not, held public positions contrary to the church’s defined teaching. To do so would cause scandal, leading Catholics to be confused about what is right and wrong according to the teachings of the church, prompting them to endorse or even to commit immoral behavior.

This is why it was not appropriate for Carol Curoe and her father to speak at the Church of St. Francis Cabrini in Minneapolis. - Archbishop Nienstedt

The upshot:

So here is the deal.  The new Archbishop is obviously not going to soft pedal the teaching of the Church as regards homosexuality.  Those days are over.  As Michael Bayly correctly observed in this post on his blog:

“The Catholic Spirit’s November 1 editorial that I referred to in my previous post reflects what could be seen as the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis long-standing pastoral approach to homosexuality – one endorsed and articulated by the past two administrations of Archbishop John Roach and Archbishop Harry Flynn. That approach has, however, been replaced by a very different one – as demonstrated by various statements made by the incoming Archbishop John Nienstedt, and by the “My Turn” column by Fr. Jim Livingston published in the November 8 Catholic Spirit.” - Mr. Bayly

 That’s pretty much it.

 [Thanks to Ray of Stella Borealis  for the tip.]