Living with silence
By PATRICK ONEILL
Special to the National Catholic Reporter
The past 18 months havent been easy for Sr. Jeannine
Gramick, whose ministry to gay Catholics has been cut off by the Vatican. But
Gramick, a School Sister of Notre Dame, says she has been able to find some
silver linings in what has otherwise been a period of grief and sadness.
After close to three decades of service to the gay and lesbian
community, Gramick and her co-worker, Salvatorian Fr. Bob Nugent, were
sanctioned by the Vaticans Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in
July of 1999. The pair is permanently prohibited from any pastoral work with
lesbian or gay persons, and both are ineligible, for an unspecified period, for
any office in their respective religious communities.
Yet, Gramick says, the penalties have raised awareness of their
work.
Even though I might not be doing direct service to lesbian
and gay people, just speaking about what has happened has raised the issue in
the public arena, Gramick said, and it has put it on the
churchs agenda much more front and center, so in that sense it has been
of service to lesbian and gay people.
So really the Vatican in July of 1999, even though it
sanctioned both Bob and myself -- and it was a terrible blow -- in the long run
it prompted the Catholic community to talk about the issue of homosexuality
when they wouldnt have before, she said.
The Vatican notification said Gramick and Nugent have, from
the beginning of their ministry, continually called central
elements of [the churchs] teaching into question -- promoting
ambiguous positions on homosexuality and criticizing documents of
the magisterium.
In May of this year, Gramick, 58, and Nugent, 63, received
additional restrictions from their religious communities, sanctions Gramick has
openly opposed. Nugent has decided to fully comply with both the Vatican and
his orders guidelines.
The second set of obediences that Gramick received
from her superior general in Rome prohibit her from speaking publicly about the
Vaticans notification process, prohibit her from criticizing the
magisterium regarding homosexuality or related issues, prohibit her from
speaking or writing about the topic of homosexuality, and forbid her from
enticing the faithful to protest in my regard, Gramick said.
After the initial Vatican notification, Gramick traveled the
country speaking about the restrictions and asking people to express their
opinions on the matter to the Vatican. The Vatican got thousands and
thousands of letters, Gramick said. I was told that the Vatican was
alarmed by the letters that they were receiving on our behalf.
Gramick thinks those letters led to the Vatican asking her
religious superiors to further restrict her speech.
Nugent and Gramick began working together in 1971 after Nugent had
read about Gramicks work with gays and lesbians and sent her a letter of
support. Two days later, Gramick contacted Nugent and asked for his help. Some
of the gay Catholics Gramick was working with wanted to speak with a priest.
The two eventually founded New Ways Ministry and began leading workshops
throughout the country calling for a more loving acceptance of gay Catholics in
the greater church community. As per the Vatican notification, both Gramick and
Nugent no longer lead workshops on homosexuality. Nugent said he still accepts
invitations for conversation in small-group settings about his
experiences, and he continues his sacramental ministry and personal one-to-one
counseling.
Like past theologians who have been silenced by the Vatican,
Nugent hopes his cooperation with the obediences might eventually lead to a
reversal or modification of the restrictions. Canon lawyers have given him some
cause for optimism. One of the things that I hope my obedience will
precipitate is a reconsideration of the decision, say, when we get a new
pope, Nugent said.
Canon lawyers said Nugent can request reconsideration when there
is new leadership. Disciplinary actions and punishments, I understand,
die with the pope, and they would have to be reconfirmed by a new
administration. Nugent said his community could petition a new pope to
lift the censure or modify it. Thats what Im hoping
for, he said. Thats my game plan, anyway. Whether its
going to materialize or not, I dont know. If I didnt accept [the
obediences] and cooperate, thered be no chance for that at all. I think I
would just kind of be sealing my own fate. Im hoping that my silence and
obedience will help me in the future to have the case reconsidered and perhaps
the decision reversed or even modified.
Gramick, who is not fully complying with the sanctions, said she
is also hoping for a change of heart by church officials, but she continues to
accept invitations to speak about her journey, answering questions in areas in
which she has been restricted. I choose not to collaborate with my own
oppression, Gramick said. I have been speaking on silencing, which
is not the [Vatican] notification. I have been speaking about the role of
public minister in the church. Ive been speaking about conscience. So any
of those topics do not violate the notification, but when I speak, if people
ask me questions about the notification or homosexuality, then I do answer. I
see myself complying, but not complying passively to the ban on retreats
or workshops for lesbian or gay people or their parents. Thats the extent
of the ban of July of 1999.
The May obediences from our superior generals went
farther, Gramick said. And its those obediences that I think
infringe upon my freedom of speech. ... I want to be clear that I still see
myself complying with the notification from the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith, although not passively. I still have hopes that it will be
reconsidered and lifted, because I do believe it was an unfair decision because
it was based on unfair processes.
The silencing has also resulted in Gramicks having to change
her focus away from pastoral work with gays and lesbians to that of church
reformer. Gramick has devoted a lot of her time to studying the social
documents of the church as they apply to freedom of expression and the primacy
of conscience. I have learned more about the absolute importance of
conscience decisions, that thats how we grow as individuals in the
faith, she said. Hopefully these decisions are congruent with what
our church calls us to, our church leaders call us to and the community calls
us to, but they may not be. Its important that we make conscience
decisions, because I think in that struggle, in coming to a conscience
decision, thats where we meet our God and we grow in our faith
relationship, our love relationship, with God.
Gramick presented her views on free expression and conscience in a
speech, titled, The Place of Silencing in the Teaching of the
Church, delivered at Haverford College in Philadelphia on Sept. 16, 2000.
Secrecy and control guard against change and foster the status quo,
Gramick said in her address. Without freedom of expression on religious
views within the church itself, the community risks the danger of perpetuating
erroneous views, such as its former position on slavery. Without freedom of
expression, thought itself is stifled.
In the battle between obedience and conscience, Gramick cited the
scripture passage in the Acts of the Apostles (5:28) when the Sanhedrin arrest
the apostles and the high priest rebukes them for disobeying the
silencing order already imposed to not teach in Jesus name.
Gamaliel, a member of the council that passed judgment on Peter and the
apostles, advised the Sanhedrin to take no punitive action, Gramick said.
Gamaliel counseled: My advice is that you have nothing to do with
these men. Let them alone. If their purpose or activity is human in its origin,
it will destroy itself. If, on the other hand, it comes from God, you will not
be able to destroy them without fighting God herself (Acts
5:38-39).
Gamaliels famous words intimate that silencing should
not be employed to suppress dissension or radical views on the grounds that a
movement or idea will collapse on its own merit if it is not from God,
Gramick said. She also quoted from the 1971 encyclical, Justice in the
World: The church recognizes everyones right to suitable
freedom of expression and thought. This includes the right of everyone to be
heard in a spirit of dialogue which preserves a legitimate diversity within the
church.
While she sees a silver lining from the attention her case is
receiving, Gramick is also coping with grief and a sense of alienation from the
church and the religious order of which she has been a member for 40 years.
I am very much in a state of grieving, Gramick said, adding that
many of her contemporaries in the School Sisters of Notre Dame are also upset
by the communitys decision to impose additional sanctions on Gramick.
I think many of them are in a state of grieving, and I think many of them
are in a state of denial, Gramick said. When I say denial I mean
not even able -- I dont mean not willing -- but not even able to talk
about what has happened. Theyre grieving for me, and many of them, I
think, are grieving and fearful for the whole congregation.
Gramick, who said she was advised by a superior to refrain from
granting an interview for this report, said she is required to provide monthly
updates of her activities to a superior. In these meetings, Gramick said she
has been advised that she has violated the communitys obediences, which
could result in her receiving a canonical warning. After a second canonical
warning, the general council of the community would vote on whether to dismiss
Gramick from the order.
To date, Gramick has not received a warning. The community
leaders have that right to give me the canonical warning, but theres no
specification in canon law as to when it would be given, Gramick
said.
Nugent said he admires Gramick for her stance. It certainly
takes a lot of courage to take the step that she has taken, he said.
I couldnt do it. I could not live with the conflict and the stress
that her position has evoked and is bound to evoke. Im just not made that
way that I could continue that constant struggle and stress.
Gramick says her prayer life, and the belief that God is in
control, have given her the sustenance to endure her trials and tribulations.
As time goes on, I am growing more at peace with Gods will,
she said. Whatever happens happens. If she is dismissed from her
religious order, that would be terrible, she said. I have
faced that in prayer, and Im not going to fall apart. I have gained so
much strength through my prayer life. I think I have been showered with
Gods graces. I cant tell you how many retreats Ive made.
Sometimes during the day I just think about God, and I feel Gods
protective arms around me.
National Catholic Reporter, January 5,
2001
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