We've probably all heard of the showboating proclamation by Fr. Tom Brennan, SJ, on November 4. Fr. Brennan used the occasion of Mass to "come out" to his parishioners about his homosexuality. In response, Fr. Tom Euteneuer penned this open letter. Some excerpts are below, but be sure to read the whole thing.
"Dear Father Brennan,
Faithful Catholics are so accustomed to being scandalized by Jesuit priests and universities these days that your public announcement of your same sex attraction during the Mass last Sunday does not really surprise any of us....
First of all, Holy Mass is not a forum for your self-expression. You chose the sacred liturgy and the pulpit, reserved for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as the launching pad for your personal testament to homosexuality, when by your own admission this was hardly a secret to anyone....
When even a celibate priest chooses to go public about his homosexual identity as an expression of "diversity" or "pride," the faithful are rightfully confused and scandalized. Not only do you owe them an apology, you owe them a better example of priesthood. They deserve a priest who is clear about the Church's teaching on homosexual acts and who teaches it unambiguously. They need a priest who personally witnesses the same teaching without feeling the need to make statements about himself or inserting ideology into the Gospel. If you do not clearly witness the Church's teaching about your own vocation, how can you teach others to be faithful to theirs?"
Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us, pray for your sons!
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
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1 comment:
I suspect Father Molloy is just jealous he couldn't do it "back in the day" and just chose to retreat into a anger laden bitter rigid conservatism. No worries, though, there are new men that are following him. Some, however, are choosing "the third way" to live their priesthood. You know - live a fiercely strict public life of chaste fidelity to the magisterium while scouring the internet for tricks and regularly acting out. Wasn't this the focus of the blog "guymouthingoff.blogspot.com?"
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