FLAWED AND DEFECTIVE by Bishop Fabian W. Bruskewitz
Last Oct. 1st, a document entitled Always Our Children: A Pastoral Message to
Parents of Homosexual Children was published by the Committee on Marriage and
the Family of the U.S. bishops' conference. Although this document was
evidently "approved" by the Administrative Committee of that conference, and it
would seem the correct procedures outlined in conference rules were followed,
it should be made clear that the document was composed without any input from
the majority of the American Catholic bishops, who were given no opportunity
whatever to comment on its pastoral usefulness or on its contents. As almost
always happens when such procedures are used by committees of the conference,
the illusion is given, perhaps deliberately, and carried forth by the media, to
the effect that this is something the U.S. bishops have published, rather than
the correct information being conveyed to the public; namely, that most bishops
had nothing to do with this undertaking. I believe one would be justified in
asserting that in this case, flawed and defective procedures, badly in need of
correction and reform, resulted in a very flawed and defective document.
The majority of America's Catholic bishops were allowed nothing to say about
this document. Still less were they permitted any suggestions or comments
about the "advisers" and consultants used by the committee, who, by their own
boasting and the ordinary "rumor mill," have been detected to be people whose
qualifications in this area of moral conduct are highly questionable. The
document, in a view which is shared by many, is founded on BAD ADVICE, MISTAKEN
THEOLOGY, ERRONEOUS SCIENCE, AND SKEWED SOCIOLOGY. It is pastorally helpful in
no perceptible way. Does this committee intend to issue documents to parents
of drug addicts, promiscuous teenagers, adult children involved in canonically
invalid marriages, and the like? These are far more numerous than parents of
homosexuals. The occasion and the motivation for this document's birth remain
hidden in the murky arrangements which brought it forth.
Not only does this document fail to take into account the latest revision in the
authentic Latin version of The Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding
homosexuality, but it juxtaposes several quotes from the Catechism in order to
pretend falsely and preposterously that the Catechism says homosexuality is a
gift from God and should be accepted as a fixed and permanent identity. Of
course, the document, in order to support the incorrect views it contains,
totally neglects to cite the Catholic doctrine set forth by the Holy See which
teaches that the homosexual orientation is "objectively disordered." Also, the
document's definition of the virtue and practice of chastity is inadequate and
distorted.
The character of this document is such that it would require a book of many
pages to point out all its bad features, which sometimes cross the border from
poor advice to evil advice. For instance, I believe it is wicked to counsel
parents not to intervene, but rather to adopt a "wait and see" attitude when
they find their adolescent children "experimenting" with homosexual acts.
Parents have a grave moral duty to prevent their children from committing
mortal sins when they can. It is certainly and seriously wrong to counsel
parents to "accept" their children's homosexual friends. In my view, parents
should be vigilant about the friends and companions of their children. Of
course, the document deliberately avoids distinguishing minor children from
adult children in its advice to parents and seems to delight in this ambiguity,
just as it confuses the acceptance of a person who does immoral acts with the
acceptance of such a person's immoral behavior.
Sinners are always the object of Christ's love and so they must also be the
object of ours. Loving sinners while hating their sins must mark the followers
of Christ even when dealing with homosexual people. However, true love is
never served by obfuscating the truth as this document appears to do.
Homosexual acts, insofar as they are deliberately and freely done, are mortal
sins which place a person who does them in the gravest danger of eternal
damnation. The document says to parents, "Do not blame yourselves for a
homosexual orientation in your child." Many scientists and psychologists say
that the orientation is likely and often due to certain parental defects, which
are usually unconsciously present, and proper therapy requires that these
matters be confronted. The document claims that something is "the common
opinion of experts" when in fact it is no such thing. One critique of this
document says that it is really an exercise in homosexual ("gay and lesbian")
advocacy. It is difficult not to see it as such.
"Calamity and frightening disaster" are terms which are not too excessive to
describe this document. It is my view that THIS DOCUMENT CARRIES NO WEIGHT OR
AUTHORITY FOR CATHOLICS, WHOM I WOULD ADVISE TO IGNORE OR OPPOSE IT.
(Bishop Bruskewitz is the ordinary of the Diocese of Lincoln, Neb. This
editorial appeared in the March/April, 1998 issue of Social Justice Review.)