Washington, D.C.
July 2007
DignityUSA, the nation’s largest advocacy group for
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Catholics, issued
comprehensive new guidelines for pastoral care at its biennial
national convention, held July 5-8, 2007, in Austin, Texas. The document was
developed in response to pastoral guidelines released by the U.S. Conference
of Catholic Bishops in November 2006, which Dignity views as deeply flawed and damaging.
Dignity’s guidelines address not only questions of private and personal
concern, but matters of public controversy such as same-sex marriage,
civil rights and legislation, the adoption and raising of children, and
immigration rights for partners of LGBT people.
DignityUSA President Sam Sinnett stated: “When the U.S. Catholic
bishops issued their guidelines last November, they did not bother to
consult with openly LGBT people, or even with their own diocesan
ministries that work directly with LGBT people. In our letter, we draw
on almost forty years of ministry with LGBT Catholics, and on the lived
experience of thousands of LGBT people. Our guidelines were developed
through a process of broad consultation throughout our organization and
beyond, over the past six months.”
Spokesperson Jeff Stone said: “We hope that the release of this
document will provide much-needed guidance to those who minister to LGBT
Catholics and their families in parishes, diocesan ministries, and
elsewhere. We also hope that that it will help to inform the public
conversation about issues involving LGBT people in which the Catholic
bishops have taken such a visible and often negative role.”
The full text of the document follows:
Dignity/USA Letter on the Pastoral Care of
LGBT People (2007)
Preface
In November of 2006, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
issued a document entitled Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual
Inclination: Guidelines for Pastoral Care.
Although welcomed by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
community as an acknowledgement of the particular spiritual needs of
LGBT Catholics, the document failed to address many important concerns
of the very people it seeks to assist. Especially distressing was the
bishops’ self-admitted failure to consult with or seek input from the
LGBT community itself during the formulation of the letter. In addition,
rather than welcoming LGBT persons to participate fully in the life of
the church, the bishops sought to shame LGBT people into invisibility and
silence, thus perpetuating longstanding prejudices and discrimination
against LGBT people in the church and in society.
The following DignityUSA Letter on the Pastoral Care of Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) People 2007 seeks to address some of the
critical pastoral needs of the LGBT community today. It gives voice to
the concerns of Catholic LGBT persons regarding their role in the
church; calls on the bishops of the United States to put an end to
prejudice and discrimination against LGBT people in the church; and
expresses the hope, expectation and just demand of LGBT Catholics to be
full participants in their church.
Text
“By the grace of God I am what I am, and God's grace to me has not been
without effect.” (I Corinthians 15:10)
“We believe that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics in our
diversity are members of Christ's mystical body, numbered among the
People of God. We have an inherent dignity because God created us,
Christ died for us, and the Holy Spirit sanctified us in Baptism, making
us temples of the Spirit, and channels through which God's love becomes
visible. Because of this, it is our right, our privilege, and our duty
to live the sacramental life of the Church, so that we might become more
powerful instruments of God's love working among all people.”
-- Opening of DignityUSA Statement of Position and Purpose
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Catholics and their
families, like all Catholics, need and deserve pastoral care from
ministers and members of the church that is respectful, affirming,
challenging and directed towards helping them mature and deepen their
commitment to the Gospel. DignityUSA draws on nearly 40 years of
providing this care for LGBT people, and on the lived experience of
thousands of faithful LGBT Catholics, to put forth the following
declaration of what this care should encompass.
1. Pastoral care for LGBT Catholics must truly embody and reflect the
truth that we are equal in worth and dignity to other people. As
children of God, we are created in God’s divine image and likeness, as
are all people. We should, therefore, be treated with respect, and be
constantly challenged to respect others, especially those unlike us or
unfamiliar to us. As individuals and as a community, we deserve the
same legal protection of basic human rights enjoyed by other members of
the church and of civil society. These include the rights to safe
housing, equal opportunity in employment, freedom from physical and
verbal violence, immigration, and health care. These rights should not
merely be affirmed, but actively supported by leaders and ministers of
the church in the arena of public discourse and civil legislation.
Efforts to thwart the achievement of these rights should not be
championed from the pulpit.
2. LGBT Catholics must be welcomed as full and equal participants in the
life of the church. All sacraments and roles of ministry, leadership
and service should be open to LGBT Catholics, as they are to other
members of the church. Church employees and volunteers must be free of
any harassment, discrimination or recrimination due to their gender
identity or sexual orientation, regardless of whether that identity or
orientation has been publicly disclosed or acknowledged.
3. Ministry to LGBT Catholics and our families must be sensitive to the
history of alienation caused by decades of negative statements and
actions directed against our community by church officials and
ministers. Awareness of the pain and fear of religious institutions
carried by many LGBT Catholics and family members, and a willingness to
work to regain trust, are essential qualities for all involved in these
ministries. LGBT people will need space and time to tell our stories,
and to be heard with a sincere openness and willingness to learn about
our lives, our relationships, and the relationship between our lives and
our faith.
4. The lives and experiences of LGBT Catholics must be reflected in the
liturgical, educational and social events of the church. For too long,
the invisibility of LGBT people in church and society has enabled our
continued oppression. Maintaining the veil of secrecy leads to
isolation, confusion and a sense of shame. It invites those who do not
understand us or are hostile to us to dehumanize and pathologize LGBT
people, and to view us as threatening and alien. Our lives and
experiences must be counted as normal dimensions of God’s creation. We
must be made visible – for our own sake, and that of the rest of the
human family. Rituals that help to sanctify aspects of LGBT people’s
lives are needed to help ensure that the church is truly welcoming. In
addition, special care must be given to prevent the continued
marginalization and exclusion of women from full and significant
participation in all activities of the church.
5. A revised theology of sexuality must acknowledge that many intimate
relationships express unitive love, even in the absence of possible
procreation. This must be affirmed as an expression of divine love.
The church has long acknowledged that one of the primary functions of
the sexual relationship within marriage is the unitive function, which
facilitates the development of a bond of love and intimacy between
partners. Furthermore, the church sanctions marriage between men and
women who have no possibility of procreating, whether by reason of age
or infertility. Sexually intimate relationships between same-gender
couples must be affirmed as having the same potential for holiness as
those between opposite-gender married couples. Guidelines for ethical
expression of sexuality are welcome, to the extent that they promote
respect, freedom from exploitation, honesty and mature love between
partners. It is critical for church ministers, counselors and religious
professionals to receive training and theological updating regarding the
nature, purpose and development of the sexual relationships of LGBT people.
6. Same-gender partners must have the opportunity to formalize our
commitments sacramentally, as well as through civil marriage. Equality
in the eyes of God and under the law must be affirmed. LGBT people must
have the same access as our heterosexual sisters and brothers to the
sacrament of marriage and to legal protections that support and provide
public affirmation of our commitments. Church leaders should be in the
forefront of advocating for equal recognition of commitments between
same-gender partners. The church should not actively work against
efforts to obtain the right to civil marriage for LGBT people.
7. Pastoral care for the families of LGBT people — both the families
from which we originate, and the families we create — should emphasize
respect, ongoing inclusion, love and affirmation, while providing
support for the particular struggles that LGBT people and their families
undergo. Many parents, grandparents, siblings and extended families
find their love for LGBT Catholic family members in conflict with social
and religious messages. They struggle to maintain positive
relationships with family members who “come out” by disclosing their
sexual orientation. The experience of “coming out,” which can be
painful as well as graced for all involved, requires compassionate
support. Church officials and ministers must urge family members to
maintain relationships, offer unconditional respect for one another, and
communicate honestly with one another. Church officials and ministers
must also help LGBT families to develop and succeed. Furthermore, they
must be willing to assist LGBT families in times of stress or
difficulty, such as incidences of domestic violence or the termination
of relationships.
8. Church leaders must affirm and support LGBT individuals and couples
who parent children, as well as the children of these families. The
number of families with children headed by LGBT people is considerable
and growing. The formation of these families, which include both
biological and adopted children, is motivated by the fundamental human
desire to love and nurture the young. Church leaders should provide
equal and free access to all relevant sacraments, work to ensure equal
legal protections for all families, and lead efforts to end verbal and
physical violence experienced by members of these families.
9. The church must work to ensure that all youth, including those who
are “coming out” or questioning their gender identity or sexual
orientation, are safe from verbal or physical harassment and violence at
school and in other social settings. The opportunity to mature with a
positive sense of identity is vital for all young people. They need a
variety of positive role models, strong boundaries and encouragement to
act in ways that demonstrate respect for themselves and others, even as
they take risks that help them understand their capabilities and
limitations.
10. LGBT Catholics, like all others, should be challenged to live out
the Gospel values of service, compassion and community. LGBT Catholics
must be involved in serving people living in poverty, suffering illness
or living at the margins of society. We must be part of the
faith-sharing that builds spiritual community. We must be reminded that
loving neighbor as self is part of the Great Commandment. We must
extend to all others the respect and dignity we have worked so hard to
gain for ourselves.
Dignity/USA is the nation's foremost organization of gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender Catholics, their families, friends and
supporters. Founded in 1969, it is an independent nonprofit organization
with members and chapters across the country. Dignity/USA works for the
full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in the
life of the Church and society. Its website is at: www.dignityusa.org
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