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
