The Cardinal
I am writing to thank Tracy Baim for her coverage of the important events that occurred on Sunday, Feb. 8. The juxtaposition of the welcoming message given by Bishop Gene Robinson with the negative and condemning message of Cardinal Francis George, plus the lively panel discussion about faith and gay marriage that same day, bring into sharp contrast the divisions in our Christian churches over the acceptance of GLBT people as a holy part of God's creation. The members of Dignity (Chicago's oldest ministry to GLBT Roman Catholics) are saddened, but not surprised, by the harsh and direct message of Cardinal George to the members of the Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach [AGLO]. The Cardinal has long been on record that the members of AGLO, as gay men and lesbian women, are bound to adhere to Roman Catholic teaching on the disordered nature of homosexuality and to abstain from same-sex relations.
It is disturbing that the Cardinal chose a Eucharistic celebration to reinforce this harsh understanding of Catholic teaching and to further defend the stance of the Archdiocese against granting civil rights protections based on sexual orientation. While homilies are often a tool to deliver unpleasant messages, Eucharist is a sign of our unity with Christ and each other. It is difficult to partake in this ritual when such sharp and condemning words have been spoken. This Mass was an opportunity for the Cardinal to deliver a pastoral message, but instead he chose to deliver a political and theological one. DignityChicago acknowledges the pain felt by many members of AGLO on Feb. 15 and the difficulty each of us has in remaining connected to a faith tradition that we love, but which does not support who we are at the core of our being. It is our story as well. As members of DignityChicago, we have had our own journey, within the context of our Catholic faith, to wholeness and a healthy, integrated sexuality and spirituality. It is a journey that we have been graced to make in hopes of giving greater witness to the holiness of all God's creation.
Dignity is an organization and faith community of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and straight Roman Catholics that celebrates and affirms our sexuality as a gift from God and proclaims our love to be life-giving and life-affirming. Congregants at our Sunday Mass will never hear words condemning our sexuality or its physical expression in our loving relationships. They will hear that they are beloved children of God who have been given a wonderful gift. That affirmation is firmly rooted in our Catholic faith and the direct experience of God's grace played out in our lives. Dignity celebrates holy unions and an annual blessing of couples as a sign of our commitment to support GLBT people and our families. We seek to publicly model a Roman Catholic church that welcomes God's grace in whatever form it comes.
This is a vision of church that is struggling to take root in many Chicago Catholic parishes where GLBT people have been embraced and made full participants in the life of the faith community.
DignityChicago will continue its dialogue with Cardinal George and other bishops, through our own efforts and through those of the Always Your Families, Always Your Church coalition. We invite members of AGLO to join us as we work to educate our bishops about the lives of their GLBT flocks and as we seek to change church teaching on homosexuality by changing the minds and hearts of the clergy and laity who are the church.
Cardinal George is fond of calling us all to conversion and, indeed, we are called to cast off that in our lives which is destructive (sinful) and take on that which is life-giving. And so we call the Cardinal to conversion and ask that he cast off the safety of a destructive church teaching and risk seeing that God is working through the GLBT community to send a message about love, commitment, and justice.
Martin Grochala