Catholic homosexual activists prepare assault.

In the American Catholic Weekly The Wanderer of March 21, 2002, Paul Likoudis wrote a lengthy report of a meeting of 600 Catholic homosexual and lesbian activists in Louisville, KY, held on March 8-10. The group, he writes, is determined to advance a homosexual agenda that has already become deeply rooted in many dioceses, parishes, religious education programs, schools, seminaries, colleges, and Church-related social or pastoral outreach programs.

The 600 activists are members of New Ways Ministry (NWM). Its founders are Sr. Jeannine Gramick and Fr. Bob Nugent, who were censured in 1999 by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), as was the work of the 30-year-old NWM. Fr. Nugent has been less visible since that time, but Sr. Gramick publicly defied the Vatican even to the point of leaving her congregation, the School Sisters of Notre Dame whose Superior ordered her to obey, and joining the Loretto Sisters (Southern USA) who pride themselves on being "progressive" and independent-minded.

New Ways started out as a ministry to homosexuals with the blessing of the Church, but over the years it changed its goal from ministry to advocacy, parallel to the development in Dignity, an organization of homosexuals who are Catholics, which moved from mutual support in the early years to homosexual advocacy and a rejection of Church teaching later on.

Sister Gramick's work and defiance, needless to say, have been hailed by the National Catholic Reporter of Kansas, which provided space for her to explain why her apparently infallible conscience had to prevail over and against the teaching authority of the Church.

What New Ways is planning is described below. The article is sometimes paraphrased; that is, rendered freely by us, but it remains essentially the work of the author, Paul Likoudis (Editor).

Mr. Likoudis begins by noting that the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) informed Archbishop Kelly of Louisville that NWM should not be given permission to celebrate Mass in its hotel. After all, it rejects Church teaching. While Archbishop Kelly kept the request, retired Bishop Matthiesen, from Amarillo, Texas, showed up and, vested in a rainbow sash, celebrated the Mass anyway. The Wanderer commented: "They know, in ways most Catholics can barely imagine, that the American Catholic hierarchy is intimidated by and incapable of dealing with homosexuality in any firm, effective, and moral way." The organizers, meanwhile, immediately accused the Vatican of using the Eucharist "as a weapon."

(Editor: As an aside, let me note that Archbishop Kelly is well known by Canadians, though not by name. He wrote the Foreword to the original American, heavily criticized, AIDS program introduced into Catholic schools in Ontario some years ago. In Ontario the Foreword, approving the program, was reprinted without change except for the signature. That was changed from Archbishop Kelly to Bishop Doyle of Peterborough, ON, who was then the bishop within the Ontario Conference of Bishops responsible for education).

Mr. Likoudis continues as follows: "After the Mass, Elsie Miranda, of Coral Gables, Fla., a lesbian and a conference speaker from the Archdiocese of Miami, told reporter Peter Smith of Louisville's Courier-Journal, "We're voices that challenge, and we are the voice of God....It's so important not to be silenced."

A "vision for the future"

On March 10, the conference concluded with the release of a petition, A Vision for the Future, a nightmare program to homosexualize the American Catholic Church. Its points are as follows:

* "A serious sustained national dialogue with gay/lesbian people" initiated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, so the bishops can better understand the role of gays in the Church.

* The development of "ministry programs" for gays and lesbians and the introduction of these programs and their graduates into every "worshipping community."

* Church support for theologians, bishops, and scholars who are engaged in serious research on the "ethics of same-sex relationships. As the world witnesses loving, devoted, and faithful same-sex couples, it is becoming increasingly obvious that scholastic answers are no longer convincing."

* The development of educational programs and religion and catechetical texts "that reflect accurate images of gay/lesbian people. Homosexuality can no longer be cloaked in lies, stereotypes, and jokes. Education about homosexuality should be an essential part of any curriculum that prepares students to follow Christ's command to 'Love one another.'"

* The training of campus ministers, youth ministers, and school chaplains to accept, welcome, and encourage young homosexuals who are "beginning to experience the gift of sexuality....Educational and spiritual programs on sexuality must include discussion on homosexuality."

* All church agencies, including chanceries, parishes, schools, etc., must "provide supportive work atmospheres so that lesbian/gay Church personnel--clergy, lay, religious--can disclose their sexual orientation to colleagues and constituents, if they so choose."

* "Seminary rectors, formation teams, vocation directors, priests' personnel directors, vicars for religious, [must] provide educational and personal/spiritual development programs for gay/lesbian priests, religious, seminarians, and candidates....All clergy and religious, regardless of orientation, need to be educated and sensitized to the gifts and needs of their lesbian and gay peers."

* Training of counsellors, therapists, confessors, and spiritual directors to affirm those with homosexual orientation and to refrain from suggesting or counselling a gay or lesbian person that his or her "orientation should be changed or reversed by therapy or prayer."

* Training of family life ministers who can support grieving parents to accept their gay/lesbian child's coming out as a time of "grace."

* Training of diocesan and parish social action directors to promote special rights for homosexual legislation.

* The celebration of homosexual activity by "all Catholics and people of goodwill....We encourage all to reverence the gift of sexuality that helps us share our love creatively and joyously."

Aggressiveness, reports Mr. Likoudis, was apparent in the plenary addresses, at the workshops of 'focus sessions,' at dinner conversations, and even in casual conversations among participants. Among others, Helen Deines of Louisville's Catholic Spalding University spoke on heterosexism, using slides to get her points across.

To the question why the group should concentrate on parishes, the answer was: "Because religion is one of the most important contributors to social change." The importance of using the parish as a base for homosexual activism, she explained, was due to the following points: "legitimacy; money and office facilities; membership; communications" such as bulletins and telephone systems; "leadership; norms of civilized behaviour; and mechanisms for enforcement [of behaviours]." Deines also suggested that the approach should be "multi-strategic to challenge heterosexism in everyday situations" and make use of "teachable moments."

The next slide was titled "the ruthless inventory," and the five principles articulated were: "begin where the parish is; build safe spaces; ground every effort in prayer, Scripture, Catholic teaching, and traditions; craft a parish consensus statement of inclusion; and increase personal contact with (LBGT) persons." (Editor: The idea of a consensus statement of inclusion is particularly noteworthy because it has been used, for example, in religious congregations to have them come to accept "sexual orientation.")

Deines delivered her message in a soft but clear and firm voice, and stressed that the most important work of gay activists in their parishes is to set up parish panel discussions involving such people as an 'out' homosexual priest, a PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) mom, and partnered homosexuals, to convince parishioners that homosexuality is normal.

High schools

Another speaker, Lou Ann Tighe, a "gay-straight" alliance moderator at a Catholic high school in St. Paul, MN, recognized that the "crisis" among homosexual students was the clash between the Church's teaching, which speaks of a disordered condition, and the conviction of the students--among whom she included the 'bisexual and transgendered'--that they were made in the image and likeness of God.

Tighe offered the following suggestions for creating homosexual-friendly classrooms: Reflect on your own sexuality; listen to (gay and lesbian) students "unconditionally," "Have therapy resources available; have cues in your environment that suggest inclusion, such as posters and symbols." (Tighe passed out an example of "peace zone" cards to participants that said, "Recognizing the value of different...sexual orientations, you will be treated with dignity and respected as a human being created in the image and likeness of God. Prejudice, harassment, discrimination, or any form of hatred will not be permitted here.")

Further suggestions: "Establish student groups that educate students, faculty, and others; don't use labels such as " 'gay' or 'lesbian.'" (However, Tighe said, "if the kids 'self-label' then we need to be very solicitous and protecting of them.")

Other suggestions: Encourage teachers to select books that have homosexual and lesbian characters in them; bring in outside speakers for staff development.

(Editor: For Canadian Catholics who think that this happens only in the United States, see our 1994 account of a brainwashing session for teachers of the Toronto Separate School Board by Mary Martin, "How to Corrupt Boldly," C.I., May, 1994, pp. 7-9. Available on our website, <www.catholicinsight.com/archives/homosexuality>.