The local LGBT Catholic organization known as the Rainbow Sash Movement has issued a press release calling for the Catholic Church to take a more responsible position regarding homophobia.
According to the issuance, this country’s Catholic bishops needs to listen to the pleas of those who advocate the inclusion of LGBT members of the faith. ‘There is much work to be done in addressing Catholic homophobia. The bishops need to listen carefully to all the voices in the Church, so they can see clearly and understand needs,’the release stated.
The document also called for talking as well as listening. ‘We need a forthright discussion that begins with an honest assessment of homosexuality and acknowledges the mistakes that have been made and seeks reconciliation,’ according to the organization, which is headed by convener and local resident Joe Murray.
Meanwhile, the 8th Day Center for Justice, a Roman Catholic social justice organization headquartered in the loop, issued a statement condemning the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education’s instruction concerning the ordination of gay priests. Liz Deligio, a staff member at 8th Day, said in the release that the organization ‘is terribly concerned that the [instruction] tries to moralize discrimination.’
The center’s release claims that what the Vatican does, among other things, is establish ‘a connection between emotional immaturity and homosexuality.’ Among the solutions the organizations proposes are a global perspective that celebrates diversity and an analysis of the cultural influence of heterosexism. The full text of the document is at www.8thdaycenter.org/resources/bulletins.html.