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Viewpoint Despite silencing, Holy Spirit
prevails
By MARY E. HUNT
Two decades ago when I came to
Washington as a young feminist theologian, Catholic lesbian was a
contradiction in terms. Today it, like gay Catholic, is simply a
description of one more member of a faith community whose name means
universal. What unites us is not so much a man in Rome or a set of
beliefs as it is an unwavering confidence that there is more going on than we
can control. We call this the Holy Spirit. She always has her way, this time on
homosexuality.
Weve come a long way in a short time. This is thanks in part
to the pioneering work of Sr. Jeannine Gramick and Fr. Robert Nugent, who were
prohibited recently by the Vatican from exercising their effective ministry
with lesbian/gay Catholics, their families and friends (NCR, July 30).
So far the decrees major impact has been to catalyze Catholics in defense
of what they know to be right.
Changes in Catholic peoples attitudes toward their
lesbian/gay children, parents, friends and relatives are readily apparent to
those who have eyes to see. When Jeannine and Bob founded New Ways Ministry in
1977, they were virtually alone. I recall early board meetings and social
gatherings of a handful of people, all finding our way against the odds.
In 1984, at the urging of Cardinal James Hickey, Rome prohibited
them from working in the Washington archdiocese. They continued their
workshops, lectures, writing and pastoral care under the aegis of their
respective religious communities. Others took over at New Ways Ministry.
Jeannine and Bob carved out an important niche in their work with parents of
lesbian/gay people, helping them square their faith with their childrens
lives.
This summers picnic at New Ways was a melange of folks --
priests and nuns, same-sex and heterosexual couples with and without their
children, beloved parents and even a bishop. The cofounders were in charge of
the buffet table and the grill respectively, gracious helpers back at a family
gathering. This is cause for silencing?
The institutional churchs position is that homosexual
orientation is disordered, and homosexual acts are
intrinsically evil. But good people, in this case good Catholics,
who come face to face with a lesbian daughter or a gay son, who live next door
to a lesbian couple or who work with a gay man on the assembly line have come
to realize that this is simply not correct.
Biological and social sciences show that sexuality is a complex
matter about which there are few final answers. Philosophy has changed so that
we make ethical judgments on the basis of actual people, not abstract
categories. Theology contributes insights including, in all things,
charity. Common sense plays a major role. The Vaticans position, in
all of its nuance, is simply wrong.
When my partner and I make love, we do not do something
intrinsically evil, but something lovely that is a human right when
enjoyed safely, responsibly and with care. In fact, our love, like all love,
builds human community. Moreover, good people rightly perceive that all of us
are more than our sexuality. Undue emphasis on the sexuality of lesbian/gay
people is called homohatred.
Happily, perhaps thanks to the Holy Spirit, thousands of Catholics
belong to Dignity, the denominational support and advocacy group, or to the
Conference for Catholic Lesbians. Many Catholic parishes today extend a warm
welcome to their lesbian/gay members. A number of religious orders -- both nuns
and priests/brothers -- have lesbian/gay groups. Many Catholic theologians,
myself included, are writing about sexual ethics within our tradition, assuming
that lesbian/gay sex is as healthy, good and natural as heterosexual sex.
Ironically, Romes argument for silencing the pair was based
on the notion that Catholics were confused about the churchs teaching. To
the contrary, we understand it fully but an increasing number of us
respectfully disagree. But I detect that what Rome wanted from Gramick and
Nugent was finally not so much about sex as about power.
This back and forth with Rome has gone on for nearly 20 years,
Rome insisting that the priest and nun agree with every jot and tittle of an
outmoded world-view, the two insisting that more nuance was necessary lest they
say something that would jeopardize their credibility in the community they
serve. In fact, that community holds them in the highest esteem, but has moved
on to clearer, stronger affirmations of same sex love. Their work has sparked
the work of others. The pressing needs of ministry trump ideology, whether
progressive or conservative.
The Vatican erred this time, just as it erred earlier against
Galileo. In the latter case it took centuries, but the church finally admitted
its error and continued apace. In theology, time is measured in centuries, not
years. I am confident that this error will be corrected, albeit long after
Jeannine, Bob and I are dead. History is like that, and Catholics believe that
the Holy Spirit prevails.
Mary E. Hunt holds a Ph.D., is a Catholic feminist theologian,
the codirector of the Womens Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual and
an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University.
National Catholic Reporter, August 13,
1999
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