Catholic bishops release 'gay'-ministry guidelines

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, after substantial amendments to the proposed draft that critics had called "gravely flawed," have approved a new document to guide them on ministry to homosexuals.

The 25-page document, "Ministry to Persons with Homosexual Inclinations: Guidelines for Pastoral Care," restates the Catholic Church's teaching on homosexuality that makes the distinction between "the inclination" and "the act." While the inclination is "objectively disordered," the Catholic Church teaches, it is not sinful in and of itself. However, all homosexual acts are considered "objectively sinful."

In the week preceding this week's meetings, Catholic physicians and psychologists who had seen the draft copy of the guidelines circulated a list of their specific worries about the wording and the substance of key sections of the document.

Rick Fitzgibbons, a Philadelphia psychiatrist, had been among the experts who contacted bishops to point out significant concerns.

"There is nothing in the document that warns people about the medical risks of homosexuality," he said.

Other concerns included the use of "hate" terms and the lack of scientific information on the causes of homosexual attraction. The context of the physician's concern was two-fold: first for the effective pastoral care of homosexual persons, and second, to prevent misunderstanding of the bishops' intent in light of the recent sex-abuse scandal.

Some bishops also found that the document needed more work. Robert F. Vasa, bishop of Baker, Ore., urged his associate bishops: "There is no harm in delaying this document, but there is harm in rushing it."

Despite objections, the amended guidelines passed 194 to 37. The document had been under study since 2002. Respected theologians, including Avery Cardinal Dulles and Francis Cardinal George, had advised the USCCB's Committee on Doctrine.

Responding to criticism of the amended document, Cardinal George observed there were also moral instructions for heterosexuals in "Married Love and the Gift of Life."

The Chicago prelate said, "The goal is not to find the faith where you're perfectly at home. …Who of us is perfectly at home in the Catholic Church? The goal is to find what God wants us to do."

Arthur Serratelli, bishop of Paterson, N.J., and chairman of the Committee on Doctrine concurred: "To be a Catholic is a challenge and to be a Catholic requires a certain choice, and these are choices consistent with the Gospel of Jesus as handed down through the church."

Another challenging comment came from Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, who said homosexuals who are not living chastely and married Catholics who use artificial birth control methods should not receive Holy Communion.

Homosexual advocates immediately rejected the amended guidelines. Activists objected to the prohibition of participation in the "lifestyle and values of a 'gay subculture.'"

New Ways Ministry, which describes itself as a "gay-positive ministry of advocacy and justice for lesbian and gay Catholics and reconciliation within the larger Christian and civil communities," dismissed the document as not addressing "human reality."

"Gay and lesbian people have a homosexual orientation, not homosexual inclination," said the group's executive director, Francis De Bernardo.

Membership in the organization is prohibited for faithful Catholics.

De Bernardo's view is contested by "Homosexuality and Hope," a booklet published by the Catholic Medical Association, which says an orientation implies an inherent condition or predisposition that is beyond the will and choice of the person. The booklet argues that science has found no genetic basis for homosexuality, and "none of the much-publicized studies has been scientifically replicated."

Neil E.Whitehead, Ph.D., of New Zealand agrees.

"There is simply no basis whatsoever for the claim that homosexuality is genetic."

Whitehead, a consultant to the New Zealand government Ministry of Research Science and Technology, concluded, "Therefore, if it is not genetic, one is not obliged by their biology to live a homosexual lifestyle."

Whitehead cites the recent identical twin studies from Australia, "Bailey, Martin, et al." The correlation of homosexual behavior in identical twins is 38 percent for males, 30 percent for females. Thus, if one of an identical twin pair is homosexual, the statistical truth is that his or her twin will not be a homosexual. Since identical twins share the same genetic code, Whitehead argues, his study refutes the science that assumes a "gay gene" is the cause of homosexuality.

Before the bishops' meeting, a circulated draft of the document said homosexual persons had "no obligation" to seek therapy for same-sex attraction. The amended document does encourage those who experience homosexual attraction as an "unwanted burden" to seek professional counseling from someone who understands and supports the church's teaching on human sexuality. For some, that means the freedom to live chastely, with the aid of spiritual and psychological help.

For others it can mean change. The Catholic Medical Association notes that for clients who pursue therapy with the hope of change, there is the same 30 percent rate of success that therapists report for other chronic disorders or addictive behaviors, such as substance abuse.

Cardinal George acknowledged that the U.S. bishops were aware of the intense debate in the nation surrounding the issues of same-sex attraction. As America struggles to find a way to address homosexuality that serves the whole of society, he said, the bishops need to present church teaching and ministry in the context of current pressures.

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Mary Jo Anderson is a contributing reporter to WorldNetDaily and a long-time reporter for the Catholic magazine Crisis.