Toward a Welcoming Catholic Viewpoint on LGBT Rights

categories: Catholic LGBT, Gay Rights and Religion, Religion and LGBT Rights

Published October 22, 2009 @ 08:21AM PT

Gay Catholic

It's nice to be reminded that not all of the Roman Catholic Church is opposed to the inclusion and acceptance of LGBT people. That reminder today comes from a Catholic nun who has spent much of the past two decades saying that the Biblical thing to do is to welcome LGBT people into the Church.

Sister Jeannine Gramick, the founder of the LGBT-friendly New Ways Ministry, has a piece up on the Human Rights Campaign's Back Story, taking the Catholic Church to task for making such a big deal about welcoming anti-gay Anglicans who are tired of the social justice directions that the worldwide Anglican church is moving in.

"I believe we should be leading our communities toward a welcoming view, rather than creating a false sanctuary for those who fear a broader view," writes Sr. Gramick of Pope Benedict XVI's decision to appeal to elements of the Anglican Church that oppose gay rights and women's rights. "Some might say that leading the way toward expanded rights for gay individuals and increased roles for women means abandoning the Church’s core principles. For many, including myself, the increased inclusion of women and lesbian/gay persons in our Church is not a desertion, but a fulfillment, of the Church’s core principles because the Gospel mandates us to welcome all to the table."

Sr. Gramick hits at a core tension that seems to be emerging in the American Catholic Church. While the U.S. Catholic Bishops and the Vatican continue to find ways to support discrimination against LGBT people -- be it in the form of donating money to ballot measures or issuing public statements that compare gay people to the threat of climate change -- most American Catholics don't find gay rights all that polarizing. Groups of Catholics for Marriage Equality are forming everywhere between Maine and California, and in many places (Rhode Island, for instance), the majority of Catholics actually favor gay rights measures like marriage equality.

Sr. Gramick delivers the message that not everyone in the Church is homophobic, and it's an important message to get out there, lest the more conservative elements dominate the religious marketplace of ideas.

(Photo courtesy of Ihar's photostream on Flickr.)

Share this Post

Comments (10)

Observation leads me to believe that the roman catholics most averse to gays are those at the level of bishop or above.

Those who actually deal with individuals - priests and nuns - are the most sympathetic and actively promote the humanistic view.

But I have to wonder about those priests who aspire to advance upward in the hierarchy: are they silent rather than supportive?

Posted by Fester 60613 on 10/22/2009 @ 09:15AM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- 1 person likes this comment. Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Fester
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
It's good that the Catholic church isn't enitrely homophobic. It's also good that Sister Jeannine Gramick supports that the Catholic Church be more tolerant towards LGBT people. She is correct in that church must welcome all who agree with Catholicism, certainly excluding what intolerant conservatives spew. Catholics for Marriage Equality is doing the correct thing by connecting the Catholic church with the LGBT rights movement.

Posted by Edwin Bonilla on 10/22/2009 @ 02:59PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- 1 person likes this comment. Like
I agree with you completely, and I admire Sister Gramick's courage! I wonder how long it will take the Vatican to shut her down?

Posted by Fester 60613 on 10/22/2009 @ 07:46PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- 1 person likes this comment. Like
I was wrong: they already tried to shut her down.

"Gramick accepted the first Vatican prohibition, but rejected the 2000 order and continues to provide support to homosexuals. In the formal document, Sr. Gramick was informed that she "may not speak or write on homosexuality, on the notification, or on any ecclesiastical processes that led to it..." further, that she "may not encourage the faithful to publicly express their dissent from the official Magisterium, nor protest decisions of the Holy See, nor criticize the Magisterium in any public forum whatsoever". After this the School Sisters of Notre Dame expected Gramick to accept both prohibitions of the Vatican. [7]. Gramick eventually transferred her religious vows voluntarily to the more sympathetic Sisters of Loretto).

And still she continues - a hero in my book!

Posted by Fester 60613 on 10/22/2009 @ 08:11PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- 1 person likes this comment. Like
Reply to thread
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Edwin
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
Sister grammick is indeed a hero and an excellent example of what happens when a woman refuses to bow down to a man...

Mr. jones...

It occurs to me that miss nedeau over on the women's rights blog might be interested in this article.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/23/2009 @ 09:11AM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Thomas
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
Sister Grammick, you rock.

I suspect that amongst the people in the pew, anti-homophobic, anti-hatred sentiments are less common than one might think.

One of my cousins, a cradle Catholic, who was married for 50 years said that he never "got" the whole thing about same-sex marriage being a danger to straight marriage. I suspect that there are many more like him out there.

Posted by Ioan Lightoller on 10/24/2009 @ 03:19AM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- 1 person likes this comment. Like
Pretty much my whole paternal family is catholic and though they live in georgia...I would like to think that at least some of them aint homohaters.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/25/2009 @ 01:18PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Like
Reply to thread
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Ioan
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
Hilarious this seems, but much of the chaos surrounding the church and its view on homosexuality is based on marketability. Homosexuality has been around since the beginning, remember Sodom? Truly, ignorance must be the new in-thing. God made everything there is and was and always will be. Gay men and women are born everyday all around the world, and yet those gay man and women never meet, cross paths, or even communicate, and heterosexuals continue to debate if its right or not.LOL! People, if gay men and women were not to exist, none would. God made everyone the way God saw fit fort God's purpose...until we relinquish our prejudices aganinst skin color, educational intelligence, and sexual orientation, our society will continue to suffer tremendously. Separation is not Godly! And neither is hate. God is love...not discrimination, and certainly not ostracizing. Grow up, and cease this ignorance about sexuality, it looks bad.

Another issue, albeit man made women, women carried man for 9 months, fed the child, raised the child, and taught the child. Therefore, the child cannot place the mother as secondary. When women are discriminated against it proves American's are not moving ahead in unity. And when there is a lack of unity, there is corruption, evil, high crime, and murders. Its time we cease out intolerence and begin to recognize one anothers differences and embrace them, no matter what! Learn more ar http://www.esotericsecrets.org

Posted by Bradley Fowler on 10/25/2009 @ 10:11PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Bradley
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
My my, Bradley - in your second paragraph you sound as though you're espousing a return to worship of the Great Mother!

I'm tempted to support you in this return: we've given the "great father" 2000 years of loyalty and obedience and he's only screwed things up horribly for Everyman and allowed his priests to turn into child molesters and hate mongers. Why not give it a shot and go back to the great mother?

Only problem is that humanity is always going to suffer disunity, corruption, evil, high crimes and murders. There is no cure for being human, alas, although perhaps we invented religion to discover one.

Posted by Fester 60613 on 10/26/2009 @ 04:47AM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Fester
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
Ive added sister grammick's ministry link to my list of gay friendly churches...

If anybody else has any that they would like to share then please let me know.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 11/02/2009 @ 01:47PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Thomas
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply

Add a Comment

For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

Comment

Check Spelling

Email me when there are new posts to this thread
Comment Policy

Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the ideas covered in the posts. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; that contain ad hominem attacks; or that are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion.

Author

Michael is the Communications Director for the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, and previously was Communications Director for Pax Christi USA, a progressive Catholic human rights organization.