T
Truth_Is_Good
Guest
I realize this thread bears some similarities to a previous thread in one of the public forums and one in the apologists’ Q&A forum.
But, my concern and my request for advice are less “theoretical” and quite immediate:
I have a friend – for convenience I’ll refer to her as “Sue” – who underwent an adult reversion to the Catholic Faith. That is a good thing, of course! And now Sue is a parishioner at a small Catholic parish near to my own parish and within the same diocese.
The “problem” is that Sue has embraced for many years, well prior to her reversion, an openly (though she is quite discreet) homosexual lifestyle. She has lived with her current partner – I’ll refer to her as “Jenn” – in a sexual relationship for more than a decade. Jenn is not a Christian, and is not open to the Catholic Faith, though she greatly respects Sue’s personal faith.
According to Sue, her Catholic pastor has direclty encouraged her to understand homosexual relations as non-sinful.
Of course I pray for Sue, and for Jenn. I like Sue! She is a wonderful, deeply spiritual and prayerful person. She gives powerful, and often entirely sound, Catholic spiritual and moral counsel to many, many persons in the course of every week.
Sue has, though, bought entirely into the “Gary Wills analysis” (a deeply flawed one) of the Church and its leaders. This too, according to Sue, follows upon the counsel and teachings of her pastor.
Now, Sue and Jenn have been patiently and actively applying to adopt a child for the past three years. They were succesful, and three weeks ago, a baby boby legally became their son.
About a week ago, their 4-month old boy was baptized in Sue’s Catholic parish by her pastor, with Jenn, official goddparents and less than a handful of other witnesses in attendance. This was done without “fanfare,” and probably few in the small parish are aware of the situation. There is no doubt whatsoever that the pastor is fully aware of the nature of Jenn’s and Sue’s relationship.
The question is . . . What should I do? Anything?
Surely this meets the criteria for being public scandal according to Church teaching.
My concerns are principally:
(1) The deadly spiritual damage being wrought by this priest in his counsel to Sue, and other souls too no doubt.
(2) The little boy – his emotional and psychological health and for his salvation. Of course Sue plans to raise him as a Catholic, but is Canon Law able to identify/address the likely-defective nature of his formation?
(3) The scandal and confusion caused by this situation as the “news” spreads.
(4) Anonymity for myself and other Catholics in the diocese who wish to lodge some kind of “complaint” in the very near future. Sue is my friend – she knows where I stand on this matter, but I’d rather not alienate her if at all possible. She has no idea that I intend to somewhow raise an exception to what has happened.
Or maybe someone here can convince me to “stay out of other people’s business.”
But this whole situation feels so very wrong.
Please help.
By the way, so far as I am aware, the priest in question has never before been known to “cause trouble” in a semi-public manner like this.
But, my concern and my request for advice are less “theoretical” and quite immediate:
I have a friend – for convenience I’ll refer to her as “Sue” – who underwent an adult reversion to the Catholic Faith. That is a good thing, of course! And now Sue is a parishioner at a small Catholic parish near to my own parish and within the same diocese.
The “problem” is that Sue has embraced for many years, well prior to her reversion, an openly (though she is quite discreet) homosexual lifestyle. She has lived with her current partner – I’ll refer to her as “Jenn” – in a sexual relationship for more than a decade. Jenn is not a Christian, and is not open to the Catholic Faith, though she greatly respects Sue’s personal faith.
According to Sue, her Catholic pastor has direclty encouraged her to understand homosexual relations as non-sinful.
Of course I pray for Sue, and for Jenn. I like Sue! She is a wonderful, deeply spiritual and prayerful person. She gives powerful, and often entirely sound, Catholic spiritual and moral counsel to many, many persons in the course of every week.
Sue has, though, bought entirely into the “Gary Wills analysis” (a deeply flawed one) of the Church and its leaders. This too, according to Sue, follows upon the counsel and teachings of her pastor.
Now, Sue and Jenn have been patiently and actively applying to adopt a child for the past three years. They were succesful, and three weeks ago, a baby boby legally became their son.
About a week ago, their 4-month old boy was baptized in Sue’s Catholic parish by her pastor, with Jenn, official goddparents and less than a handful of other witnesses in attendance. This was done without “fanfare,” and probably few in the small parish are aware of the situation. There is no doubt whatsoever that the pastor is fully aware of the nature of Jenn’s and Sue’s relationship.
The question is . . . What should I do? Anything?
Surely this meets the criteria for being public scandal according to Church teaching.
My concerns are principally:
(1) The deadly spiritual damage being wrought by this priest in his counsel to Sue, and other souls too no doubt.
(2) The little boy – his emotional and psychological health and for his salvation. Of course Sue plans to raise him as a Catholic, but is Canon Law able to identify/address the likely-defective nature of his formation?
(3) The scandal and confusion caused by this situation as the “news” spreads.
(4) Anonymity for myself and other Catholics in the diocese who wish to lodge some kind of “complaint” in the very near future. Sue is my friend – she knows where I stand on this matter, but I’d rather not alienate her if at all possible. She has no idea that I intend to somewhow raise an exception to what has happened.
Or maybe someone here can convince me to “stay out of other people’s business.”
But this whole situation feels so very wrong.
Please help.
By the way, so far as I am aware, the priest in question has never before been known to “cause trouble” in a semi-public manner like this.
