The latest travesty from the Vatican came out yesterday in the form of a proposal to ban gays from the priesthood.
The Vatican argues this will solve the sex-abuse problems. Anyone with half a brain can beg to differ: most abuse took place during or before the 1980s, when gay men were shunned by the church, forced into the closet or quietly driven out of the clergy. Since then, a more tolerant policy resulted in a rise in "out" priests -- and less abuse.
Never mind that straight and gay men abuse adolescent boys. Never mind that the best priests I've ever known are gay -- the ones who can relate to the isolation and rejection I felt as a woman in the church, since they, too, reside at the margins of the cathedral.
I'm not sure anymore. Between this thinly veiled bigotry and the ongoing, increasing push to keep women in subservient roles, I don't feel comfortable calling myself Catholic. I've stopped going to Church, but I don't know what that means. Am I a sinner looking for an easy way out by finding a church that agrees with my values? Or am I in the right: an angry, frustrated, overlooked part of an archaic faith that fails to meet the needs of its flock?
I wish I knew.
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3 comments:
Dearest Meg,
You know who you are and more importantly, you are the Church. As I fight with the old boys network, who seem hellbent (and I do mean that literally) on holding on to their power, that is all they are doing. This latest bit of homophobic bullshit has nothing to do with Jesus and his universal message. Hang on, we need you...
Thanks...I needed that right now! What can I do to fight? I'm not sure if there's anything I can actually do, so please point me in the right direction. Oh, and I can't send things to your email. Is it still the new one from aol?
Please email me at m548@att.net., I am so sorry about Bryan leaving. I honestly feel the pain with you, as I am still suffereing from the missing Nick almost as much as I would my heartbeat, scenerio.
M
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