Catholic University Denies Gay-Straight Alliance Group From Official Recognition

[SaAcDelacro1x]

Hey, did anyone read the Washington Post lately? Apparently, “CUAllies,” a gay-straight alliance group, was denied official recognition from the Board this week.

Now, I’m not for gay marriage, but how should a faithful Catholic University try to handle gay people on campus without straying from the Magisterium? I mean, I have this idea that Courage – that Catholic group that helps gays and is faithful to the Magisterium – could set up university ministries (which I don’t think they do right now), but is that actually a good idea?

Maybe that’s just me. But God help us on how to deal with GLBT issues and how we should treat them!

 

[Havard]

I think if a Catholic university is going to rubber stamp a gay student group, then that group should promote chastity for those that have not received the sacrament of marriage, just like the Church teaches.

The Washington Post article talks about students and staff being afraid to out their relationships. Absent actual abuse, which I don’t tolerate, I can’t find any sympathy if it’s just faithful Catholics expressing dismay at their lifestyles. Chastity is not a recommendation, it’s doctrine.

 

[thealtonroute]

Good for Catholic University

 

[JReducation]

I was at CUA when there was a gay support group. It was originally a great pastoral program. Eventually, it turned into an advocacy group. That was not the intent. The original intent was to do the same thing that Georgetown had done, to have an on-campus organization that would help students, straight and gay to live peacefully on campus, get the best out of their education, learn what the Church actually teaches, not what people imagine or want to insert into the teaching of the Church.

I was not there when the original organization derailed. But I can understand the university’s concern today. You want to help students and staff understand, respect and love each other. But you don’t want to promote an agenda. That’s not what a Catholic school is supposed to do.

It is wrong for straight students and teachers to be hostile toward gay students. It is also wrong for gay students to expect a Catholic school to support same-sex marraige and other positions in conflict with the Church. It is part of the campus ministry to make sure that gay people understand that they are welcome in the Church and that the Church loves them. It is important for them to understand that their sexual attraction is not the issue, but sexual activities and other issue. It is also important for campus ministry to help straight students to learn how to treat gay people with courtessy, friendliness and welcome them as part of the university community and faith community. Any kind of discrimination based solely on one’s feelings about gayness is contrary to charity. I agree that campus ministry has to deal with this. You can’t have a small town, as is Catholic University and pretend there is no such an issue.

However, you have to do so prudently and make sure that your committee, team, organization or whatever way you choose to help does not backfire and turn into an endorsement of something that you may not endorse.

Reading the article, I get the impression that the Washington Post has a bigger bone to pick than the students. The students don’t seem that upset about it. I believe that the Washington Post wanted to make this a major contraversy. But I doubt that it will work, for one simple reason. Catholics are very powerful in Washington DC. After the District of Columbia, the next largest educator in Washington is the Catholic Church, with seven Catholic universities inside the city and its suburbs: The Catholic University of America, John Paul II Institute, Marymount University, Loyola, Georgetown, Trinity University and the Washington Theological Union. Then there are more than 20 religious houses of formation in the city.

I think that the Washington Post is not going to get what it wants. There are too many students attending Catholic colleges and graduate schools in the city who know the situation better than the Post does.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[musicality]

But the group has a self-imposed list of topics that are off-limits: pre-marital sex, gay sex, birth control, gay marriage and behavior not permitted by the Catholic church.

Despite the university’s refusal to sanction the group, the students say they want to respect the campus’s conservative nature and rules. Instead, they focus on helping gay students who are trying to navigate campus and educating the rest of the student body about gay issues.

“Everything that we are doing, it’s Catholic, it’s what the church is about,” said David Freerksen, a junior economics major from Delaware who came out in middle school and converted to Catholicism in high school because of the religion’s emphasis on community service.

Sounds reasonable to me…

The group this is referring to “Organization for Lesbian and Gay Student Rights, which was formed in 1979 and was officially recognized as a student organization in 1988”] was forced to dissolve several years ago because it became an advocacy group, Nakas said.

“The university has chosen not to go down that path again,” he said

I’m not sure that’s the correct mindset for approaching an issue like this. I think it’s important to have a support group. I would actually recommend that they have one of the clergy become a faculty adviser for the group and sit in on discussions to provide some sound reasoning.