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Building Bridges: Gay & Lesbian Reality and the Catholic Church
Gay & Lesbian Studies, Homosexuality, Religious Studies, Catholicism
- GenresLGBT
218 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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May 15, 2024
A COLLECTION OF THE WRITINGS OF THESE TWO LGBT CATHOLIC ADVOCATES
Robert Nugent (1937-2014) was a Roman Catholic priest and a member of the Religious Order, the Society of the Divine Savior; Jeannine Grammick is a Catholic religious sister. They are co-founders of New Ways Ministry, a ministry of advocacy and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Catholics.
They wrote in the Preface of this 1992 book, “For more than twenty years we have engaged in what we have called a bridge ministry of justice and reconciliation for gay and lesbian Catholics and the larger church community… We hope that the experiences and analyses presented here will reach a wider audience… it has often been suggested that we gather some of our writings in one place because most people do not necessarily have access to specialized journals. From our previously published articles, we have selected those which address four specific themes: educational and social concerns, counseling and pastoral issues, religious and clerical life, and evolving theological perspectives… We offer these essays with a modest hope that they will encourage readers to make their own unique contributions to this ministry in which all of us are engaged in one way or another.”
They advise, “Society need not fear homosexuality. It is neither a threat to the family nor an attack on marital values. But society has much to fear from bigotry, ignorance, and hostility as responses to a form of human sexual identity that is different from the majority.” (Pg. 19)
One of them observes, “as the church continues to evolve its understanding and expand its practice of ministry, I foresee a specialized ministry developing among those who have acquired a certain pastoral expertise in the area of homosexuality and who are able to support and minister to families coping with homosexuality.” (Pg. 53-54)
They explain, “From a Catholic viewpoint there is no lack of clarity concerning the church’s position. A homosexual orientation is morally neutral. Lesbian and gay individuals are no more responsible for their homosexual orientation than are heterosexual people for theirs… On the other hand, homosexual behavior as distinct from orientation is morally unacceptable either because it involves use of genital sexuality that lacks a necessary component of male-female procreative potential or because it is sexual activity outside the bonds of marriage. Confessors are advised in official church documents to treat people with compassion and understanding while allowing for various factors such as habit, erroneous conscience, and compulsion that might lessen personal responsibility and culpability for homosexual activity.” (Pg. 60-61)
They note, “by 1985 lesbian nuns had gained widespread interest and attention not only in Catholic circles, but in the world at large because of extensive publicity surrounding the publication of the book ‘Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence’… The title was somewhat misleading because most of the essays were contributed by former nuns… its real value in drawing public attention to this neglected women’s issue.” (Pg. 94-95)
They acknowledge, “There have been instances of immature and irresponsible homosexual behavior in seminary and religious life. But the basic point here is to recognize that the problem is not sexual orientation but irresponsible expressions These irresponsible behaviors are often traced to emotional problems, poor self-image, addiction and/or psychological conflicts.” (Pg. 113)
They wonder, “How can the Christian churches justify any theology that ignores the experience of more than one hundred million lesbian and gay Christians? How can we be complacent with church structures that accept heterosexual persons but punish lesbian and gay persons when they are true to their natures? How can we claim that the Christian churches are following the gospel of Jesus if Christianity aggravates the alienation from the faith community that lesbian and gay persons face? Should not Christians welcome lesbian and gay people in the name of Jesus?” (Pg 187)
They add in the Postscript, “The HIV-AIDS crisis has added another threatening dimension by relating sexuality to mortality. The church has responded compassionately, though somewhat tardily, to the HIV-AIDS issue and consequently has been confronted with its own teachings, fears, and pastoral responses around homosexuality. We do not see an early resolution to the discussion and debate on homosexuality. Our main hope is that the communal search for truth about human sexuality will be increasingly shaped by reason rather than fear, by comparisons rather than condemnation, and by love rather than hate.” (Pg. 207)
This book will be of great interest to LGBT persons and their supporters.
Robert Nugent (1937-2014) was a Roman Catholic priest and a member of the Religious Order, the Society of the Divine Savior; Jeannine Grammick is a Catholic religious sister. They are co-founders of New Ways Ministry, a ministry of advocacy and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Catholics.
They wrote in the Preface of this 1992 book, “For more than twenty years we have engaged in what we have called a bridge ministry of justice and reconciliation for gay and lesbian Catholics and the larger church community… We hope that the experiences and analyses presented here will reach a wider audience… it has often been suggested that we gather some of our writings in one place because most people do not necessarily have access to specialized journals. From our previously published articles, we have selected those which address four specific themes: educational and social concerns, counseling and pastoral issues, religious and clerical life, and evolving theological perspectives… We offer these essays with a modest hope that they will encourage readers to make their own unique contributions to this ministry in which all of us are engaged in one way or another.”
They advise, “Society need not fear homosexuality. It is neither a threat to the family nor an attack on marital values. But society has much to fear from bigotry, ignorance, and hostility as responses to a form of human sexual identity that is different from the majority.” (Pg. 19)
One of them observes, “as the church continues to evolve its understanding and expand its practice of ministry, I foresee a specialized ministry developing among those who have acquired a certain pastoral expertise in the area of homosexuality and who are able to support and minister to families coping with homosexuality.” (Pg. 53-54)
They explain, “From a Catholic viewpoint there is no lack of clarity concerning the church’s position. A homosexual orientation is morally neutral. Lesbian and gay individuals are no more responsible for their homosexual orientation than are heterosexual people for theirs… On the other hand, homosexual behavior as distinct from orientation is morally unacceptable either because it involves use of genital sexuality that lacks a necessary component of male-female procreative potential or because it is sexual activity outside the bonds of marriage. Confessors are advised in official church documents to treat people with compassion and understanding while allowing for various factors such as habit, erroneous conscience, and compulsion that might lessen personal responsibility and culpability for homosexual activity.” (Pg. 60-61)
They note, “by 1985 lesbian nuns had gained widespread interest and attention not only in Catholic circles, but in the world at large because of extensive publicity surrounding the publication of the book ‘Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence’… The title was somewhat misleading because most of the essays were contributed by former nuns… its real value in drawing public attention to this neglected women’s issue.” (Pg. 94-95)
They acknowledge, “There have been instances of immature and irresponsible homosexual behavior in seminary and religious life. But the basic point here is to recognize that the problem is not sexual orientation but irresponsible expressions These irresponsible behaviors are often traced to emotional problems, poor self-image, addiction and/or psychological conflicts.” (Pg. 113)
They wonder, “How can the Christian churches justify any theology that ignores the experience of more than one hundred million lesbian and gay Christians? How can we be complacent with church structures that accept heterosexual persons but punish lesbian and gay persons when they are true to their natures? How can we claim that the Christian churches are following the gospel of Jesus if Christianity aggravates the alienation from the faith community that lesbian and gay persons face? Should not Christians welcome lesbian and gay people in the name of Jesus?” (Pg 187)
They add in the Postscript, “The HIV-AIDS crisis has added another threatening dimension by relating sexuality to mortality. The church has responded compassionately, though somewhat tardily, to the HIV-AIDS issue and consequently has been confronted with its own teachings, fears, and pastoral responses around homosexuality. We do not see an early resolution to the discussion and debate on homosexuality. Our main hope is that the communal search for truth about human sexuality will be increasingly shaped by reason rather than fear, by comparisons rather than condemnation, and by love rather than hate.” (Pg. 207)
This book will be of great interest to LGBT persons and their supporters.
Displaying 1 of 1 review