Homosexuality and the Catholic Priesthood

The profound sadness I feel regarding the Church's impending decision to exclude people on the basis of Sexual Orientation from the priesthood drives me to the verge of stomach illness.

I am in many ways a rarity among poets- I am a Catholic who goes to Mass and who is embedded in the Catholic Culture and place in the world. I am not some cafeteria Catholic or Kabbalah using hypster, no I am a Catholic who believes in the Nicene Creed and the Church and this sometimes separates me from my fellow poets and makes me less than understood .I cannot defend why the Curia does and I have to be Angry but Obedient.

The issue of Sexual Predation among Catholic Priests is a great and mortal sin. This sin was not only committed by the Priests who violated their vows and used their power to commit rape on young men and women but also one committed by the Church's princes the bishops and Cardinals. Why Cardinal Law of Boston is not in Jail is something I will never understand? Why my home Bishop protected a pedophilia in my home parish is beyond me- it is just evil.

What these Bishops and their pedophilia friends have done is to besmirtch the trust and care of millions of Catholics and to steal their money to pay damages for their sins. Hospitals, Schools, Homeless Shelters, Soup Kitchens have been closed because the Church has had to sell these places to pay damages for the rapine and evil of our Bishops. When my parents and grandparents gave their hard earned money for the Church it was not for this.

So now when the Church needs to pull together, to love as Jesus loved us, to be accepting and to love those who are seeking to serve; the Church announces that they will ban Homosexual men from the Priesthood; what an evil joke. The problem with the Catholic Church is not Homosexuality, it is misogyny and corruption.

Why is it that Gay men are banned from ministry and it is estimated the 65% of all priests in the USA are homosexual but chaste? Why is it that Our Church is going to be bigoted against Gay people when it is proven that Homosexuality is not a choice but a gift from God.

When I worked as a lay missioner in Bolivia I saw all sorts of violations of the rules;
priests with multiple children by multiple women, gay priests involved in all sorts of relationships, Nuns and Sisters driven from religious life because of affairs while the priest involved was sent "on retreat". The problem is evil and perverted sexual ideas not Homosexuality.

The problem is not homosexuality; Gay people deserve the same rights as Heterosexuals, marriage, families, respect and love.The problem is a Church
hierarchy that is filled with infantile women haters and ignorant narrowminded priests with power.

A right wing priest said on the radio that the goal was a smaller, faithful Church. Why not a Church that tries to embody the best of our Catholic History. Would Jesus, St Benedict, St Francis, St Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, Bartolome De Las Casas, De Chardin, Merton, Day, John the XXIII or any of the myriad of great Catholics have wanted a smaller bigoted church?

What would Jesus do?

He loved.... and died from cruelty and bigotry-