Gay priest fired from chaplain job asks Pope Francis to meet LGBT Catholics in U.S

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(RNS) In May, the Rev. Warren Hall was abruptly dismissed from his position as the popular campus chaplain at Seton Hall University in New Jersey because the Catholic archbishop of Newark said his advocacy against anti-gay bullying, and his identity as a gay man, undermined church teaching.

Now Hall has written to Pope Francis asking that when the pontiff visits the U.S. in September, he speak out against such actions because they are “alienating” gay Catholics and the many others who support them.

In the letter, which was dated July 14, Hall asked Francis to “find time to listen to the challenges faced by LGBT people, especially those who are Catholic and wish to remain a part of the Church they have grown up in, which they love, and yet which it seems is alienating them more and more.”

religionnews.com/2015/07/20/gay-priest-fired-chaplain-job-asks-pope-francis-meet-lgbt-catholics-u-s/?utm_content=buffer33bfa&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer#h
 
What Rev. Hall fails to metion about NOH8 is that:

The NOH8 Campaign (NOH8 meaning “No Hate”) is a charitable organization in the United States whose mission is to promote marriage, gender and human equality through education, advocacy, social media, and visual protest. (bold mine)

Obviously his bishop cannot condone gay marriage, as Rev. Hall knows very well. It’s not about “ministering” to anyone, it’s about accepting gay marriage, something the Pope has already reaffirmed is not compatible with Church teachings. If Rev. Hall won’t accept paid leave he has no one but himself to blame for having no income. Instead of whining to the Holy Father he should align himself and his beliefs to that of the Church.
 
Della said:
Instead of whining to the Holy Father he should align himself and his beliefs to that of the Church.
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Or perhaps this is a good thing, if the priest gets an answer he might conform to what the pope teaches. Wait and see, because I like it when Pope Francis answers letters. The replies generate attention towards Church teaching.
 
dmar198 said:
Or perhaps this is a good thing, if the priest gets an answer he might conform to what the pope teaches. Wait and see, because I like it when Pope Francis answers letters. The replies generate attention towards Church teaching.
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He’s more likely to be answered by an under-secretary than the pope himself, and he deserves no better, IMHO.
 
As a new Catholic, I’ve actually been a bit confused on Church teaching about homosexuality.

My understanding is that homosexual attraction is considered disordered, but not sinful. Homosexual sex is the sin.

But homosexual priests are discouraged from the priesthood- which I don’t understand, since all priests are required to be chaste. Since homosexuals are also called to chastity, to me it seems like it’s not a conflict.

Can anyone educate me on this issue?
 
AKDee said:
As a new Catholic, I’ve actually been a bit confused on Church teaching about homosexuality.

My understanding is that homosexual attraction is considered disordered, but not sinful. Homosexual sex is the sin.

But homosexual priests are discouraged from the priesthood- which I don’t understand, since all priests are required to be chaste. Since homosexuals are also called to chastity, to me it seems like it’s not a conflict.

Can anyone educate me on this issue?
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I want to know, too.
 
AKDee said:
As a new Catholic, I’ve actually been a bit confused on Church teaching about homosexuality.

My understanding is that homosexual attraction is considered disordered, but not sinful. Homosexual sex is the sin.

But homosexual priests are discouraged from the priesthood- which I don’t understand, since all priests are required to be chaste. Since homosexuals are also called to chastity, to me it seems like it’s not a conflict.

Can anyone educate me on this issue?
Click to expand...
A quick clarification - everyone is called to practice chastity, even married couples. (Most) priests and religious are called to celibacy. “Chastity” as a term is frequently used in secular culture to mean abstinence, but in the Catholic understanding it’s just properly ordered sexuality.

Someone can probably cite the document, but my understanding is that men who suffer from any particular disorder or moral problem that is a big part of their lives are probably not suited to the priesthood. That could include homosexuality but also addictions or mental health issues. There is also, unfortunately, a history in some seminaries of being kind of “gay havens” where there’s a lot of immoral activity - definitely not the kind of thing to be encouraged.

Priests also, regardless of their celibacy, have a very masculine function in the Church in that they act in the person of Christ. Christ’s bride is the Church, so a person who experiences a great deal of confusion on how to interact in that way may not be suited to the role of the priest. It’s not just about being able to refrain from the physical act.

That said, I definitely think there are men who experience same-sex attraction who would be or are excellent priests. But for some, the way they experience that attraction or the depth to which they experience that attraction would make them not suited to priesthood.
 
Della said:
What Rev. Hall fails to metion about NOH8 is that:

The NOH8 Campaign (NOH8 meaning “No Hate”) is a charitable organization in the United States whose mission is to promote marriage, gender and human equality through education, advocacy, social media, and visual protest. (bold mine)

Obviously his bishop cannot condone gay marriage, as Rev. Hall knows very well. It’s not about “ministering” to anyone, it’s about accepting gay marriage, something the Pope has already reaffirmed is not compatible with Church teachings. If Rev. Hall won’t accept paid leave he has no one but himself to blame for having no income. Instead of whining to the Holy Father he should align himself and his beliefs to that of the Church.
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👍

The NOH8 organization itself was formed as a protest against Prop 8 in California defining marriage as between a man and a woman. In fact, any use of the concept to stand against bullying in part of the “broad interpretation” and not mentioned in its mission statement.

A priest whose “advocacy” focuses on fighting the traditional definition of marriage should not be in a position of leadership in the Church, especially in a school or college setting.
 
I don’t know if I can say much about this because it is something I don’t know the right way around.

I mean I think that since homosexual men cannot have sex anyway (according to Church rules) we would be the ideal priests, but on the other hand, it is not even just that simple. I mean if the situation were reversed and we were talking about allowing a heterosexual man to lead a congregation of predominantly gay men would he have the right kind of tools for the job?

But then can’t the same thing be said about a celibate priest leading a congregation of married people? I don’t know. Maybe gay priests aren’t such a bad thing, but I think they if they do get to that position they should be careful not to push too far because they can alienate the people they are supposed to serve. That’s what I don’t like about the priest in this situation. He’s not supposed to have an agenda so much as to just lead by example. I mean I don’t disagree with his message, but it seems like he should have just been encouraging other people to say it on his behalf by being a model priest. He should have known that he was pushing the boundaries by taking on the issue head-on. I don’t know. Maybe he was just tired of feeling alone.
 
I have not encountered that explanation before. Is there a source for it that goes into it with a little more depth, please?
 
Della said:
What Rev. Hall fails to metion about NOH8 is that:

The NOH8 Campaign (NOH8 meaning “No Hate”) is a charitable organization in the United States whose mission is to promote marriage, gender and human equality through education, advocacy, social media, and visual protest. (bold mine)

Obviously his bishop cannot condone gay marriage, as Rev. Hall knows very well. It’s not about “ministering” to anyone, it’s about accepting gay marriage, something the Pope has already reaffirmed is not compatible with Church teachings. If Rev. Hall won’t accept paid leave he has no one but himself to blame for having no income. Instead of whining to the Holy Father he should align himself and his beliefs to that of the Church.
Click to expand...
👍

Of course, you will never hear that from any mainstream media outlet.
 
I’ve never heard that reasoning before. Can an impotent man become a priest? How about an asexual man? It doesn’t seem consistent to me.

It also ignores the fact that for 1000 years married men were able to become priests in the Roman Church and still are in the Eastern. There’s no sacrifice in those situations since they have a sexual outlet. Chastity is much easier when you can have sex with someone so there’s not really much of a sacrifice or at least no more than your average Catholic.

I believe the real answer is that gay men can become priests as long as the Bishop gives the okay.
 
J_Peterson said:
I’ve never heard that reasoning before. Can an impotent man become a priest? How about an asexual man? It doesn’t seem consistent to me.

It also ignores the fact that for 1000 years married men were able to become priests in the Roman Church and still are in the Eastern. There’s no sacrifice in those situations since they have a sexual outlet. Chastity is much easier when you can have sex with someone so there’s not really much of a sacrifice or at least no more than your average Catholic.

I believe the real answer is that gay men can become priests as long as the Bishop gives the okay.
Click to expand...
It is a good thing that priests are able to talk more openly about their sexuality. Those who went through formation 15-20 years ago, or even longer, didn’t have that ability. We all benefit when our sexuality is a healthy one, not hidden in closets or filled with fear and guilt.

Does anyone know what the numbers are in the US of clergy who are gay? 50%? More? Has someone done a recent study?
 
J_Peterson said:
I’ve never heard that reasoning before. Can an impotent man become a priest? How about an asexual man? It doesn’t seem consistent to me.

It also ignores the fact that for 1000 years married men were able to become priests in the Roman Church and still are in the Eastern. There’s no sacrifice in those situations since they have a sexual outlet. Chastity is much easier when you can have sex with someone so there’s not really much of a sacrifice or at least no more than your average Catholic.

I believe the real answer is that gay men can become priests as long as the Bishop gives the okay.
Click to expand...
An impotent or asexual man cannot be a priest either.

When I was in the seminary old priests told me that when society was far more agricultural they were asked prior to admission if they had castrated animals (pigs, cattle, or horses) since this would exclude them too.
 
J_Peterson said:
It also ignores the fact that for 1000 years married men were able to become priests in the Roman Church and still are in the Eastern. There’s no sacrifice in those situations since they have a sexual outlet. Chastity is much easier when you can have sex with someone so there’s not really much of a sacrifice or at least no more than your average Catholic.
Click to expand...
When I was going through discernment many years ago, a wise priest told me to look at it this way… The demands of the priesthood are extraordinay, and having a spouse and family would be exceedingly difficult to juggle family and church. Deacons, who have a much smaller role in the day-to-day workings of a parish need their wife’s consent because of the obligations.

Plus there’s always St Paul’s admonishment about single men being freer to serve God than married.
 
Thank You for posting this. I was going to go find this and post since there are some interesting ideas why Homosexual men are not allowed into the Preisthood.

It should be noted that this came out of the abuse crises when it was found that the majority of the abuse cases were those of a homosexual deviant nature towards post pubescent boys.

Peace!👍
 
FWIW, homosexual attraction does not equal a predilection towards pedophilia. Men that like men are not going to necessarily be attracted to little boys and more than men who like women would be attracted to little girls. Pedophilia is a different disorder entirely. I’m kind of offended on behalf of gays when this is suggested.
 
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