Letters to the editor
‘Many in The Catholic Hierarchy are Self-Denying Gay Men’
Frank Testin, President of Dignity Canada Dignité Toronto
Volume 34 Issue 1, 2 & 3 | Posted: March 27, 2020
I would like to share with you one event in 2019 that was transformational for me. In July, I was fortunate to attend the third assembly of the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics (GNRC) held in Chicago. It was very inspiring to dialogue and pray with some 60-70 representatives from LGBT organizations from around the globe. Similar to Dignity Canada Dignité (DCD), almost all were volunteer groups, not part of the institution, although very much part of the Church when defined as all baptised Catholics.
We had the opportunity to join one of several breakout groups that met several times over the course of three days. I chose the “mission” group which was asked to consider several questions including the following: How can we influence Catholic bishops; and how can we work with secular LGBT groups or liaise between them and the institution?
I would like to share with you one event in 2019 that was transformational for me. In July, I was fortunate to attend the third assembly of the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics (GNRC) held in Chicago. It was very inspiring to dialogue and pray with some 60-70 representatives from LGBT organizations from around the globe. Similar to Dignity Canada Dignité (DCD), almost all were volunteer groups, not part of the institution, although very much part of the Church when defined as all baptised Catholics.
We had the opportunity to join one of several breakout groups that met several times over the course of three days. I chose the “mission” group which was asked to consider several questions including the following: How can we influence Catholic bishops; and how can we work with secular LGBT groups or liaise between them and the institution?
Also, is the GNRC mainly a community of practice, seeking to communicate best practices? Should it be a resource centre, in terms of making information available to LGBT Catholic organizations? There was also discussion about setting up useful Google group(s) or other ways to communicate among ourselves.
I described to the group the project which DCD carried out in 2018-2019 of preparing the position paper “Cultivating Justice Love: Toward a Revision of Catholic Sexual Ethics” for the President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) in advance of the meeting of bishops at the Vatican on February 21-24 on the sexual abuse of minors by (some) clergy. In it, we challenge the horrible, dehumanizing institutional teachings condemning romantic relationships by LGBT persons. In addition to the harmful effect on LGBT persons, we submit that the hierarchical teachings in themselves have been a contributing factor in the sexual abuse scandal.
In terms of bringing about changes in the official teachings, I learned in Chicago that DCD had probably used an unproductive approach in planning a news conference on our position paper, rather than simply sending the paper to the CCCB. The hierarchy does not like to be criticized in public. On the other hand, the CCCB probably appreciated being notified of the event in advance.
The group also briefly discussed Frederic Martel’s book entitled in English In the Closet of the Vatican: Power, Homosexuality, Hypocrisy (February 2019). He reports that there is an overwhelming majority of homosexual persons in positions of responsibility and authority in the Vatican. How then can one account for the terrible teachings, which in our paper we submit are teachings of contempt for LGBT persons?
At the end of the discussion, there was a reality check about how to change institutional teaching on sexuality. What we have learned from Frederic Martel’s book is that many of the hierarchy are self-denying gay men, often motivated by fear and denial of their sexual orientation (internalized homophobia). Some in the hierarchy do not recognize their own sexuality and are terrified by anything that may make them see themselves. Relying on rational arguments will not likely be effective in changing their hearts and minds because their resistance is not rational. In at least some instances, they do not know who they are.
What I’ve concluded amounts to two tragedies. First, many clerics, especially at the Vatican, are tortured human beings living in great fear and denial of themselves. Second, these fearful and repressed human beings have the authority to tell millions of other LGBT persons how to live their lives. To me, these are genuinely tragic at both the individual and corporate levels.
Maybe preparing our position paper was more for our own benefit or for the general benefit of the Church (people of God). As Mary Hunt said at the gathering in Chicago, we are the theologians we’ve been waiting for.
In the future we will not spin our wheels on trying to change the official teachings as one of our primary goals. Instead, we will focus on bringing our perspective on sexual ethics to our members, our allies and fellow Catholics at large. I invite each one of you to help spread the message of the unconditional love of God for each other and affirming our romantic relationships, as we have tried to do in “Cultivating Justice Love: Toward a Revision of Catholic Sexual Ethics”
Frank Testin, President of Dignity Canada Dignité Toronto