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Rainbow Sash Movement Challenges Dignity to go deeper - GLBT Catholics at a Crossroad
Rainbow Sash Movement Challenges Dignity USA to look deeper - LGBT Catholics at a Crossroads The National Council of Catholic Bishop is just wrapping up its Fall meeting in Baltimore. One of their actions was to approve a broad new document on marriage. The Rainbow Sash Movement understands this document as the foundation to promote homophobia in the name of God and is a continuation of the Catholic Bishops Jihad against the LGBT Community. This document is clearly an attack on Marriage Equality. We disagree with the assessment of Dignity USA position as stated in the Baltimore Sun dated November 18, 2009 that "There can be no doubt that, as the bishops' pastoral letter states, marriage is a blessing, both special and natural," Dignity further stated as part of a coalition "It is worthy of affirmation and support from both religious and secular institutions…At the same time, our church and society can fully celebrate this blessing only when all those who are called to marriage can indeed marry, when couples are able to exercise their conscience to make moral decisions about their lives, and when those who are remarried are still welcomed at the table.” Clearly this letter "Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan" is in the opinion of the Rainbow Sash Movement yet another example of trying in particular to justify discrimination against LGBT people. The view of the Bishops that there is just and unjust discrimination is an echo of Cardinal Ratizinger's (AKA: Pope Benedict XVI) Oct 1, 1986 "Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual persons". We cannot dissociate ourselves with the just Civil Rights Movement of the LGBT Community in its journey for Equal Marriage Rights, specifically the issue of Gay Marriage in Washington, DC. Nor can we turn our back on the effect this letter will have on LGBT youth in the Catholic educational system. We must if possible be unambiguous in our condemnation of this letter. It is our purpose to make a better future for those who follow us. Our view is this document is merely a restatement of the 1986 pastoral letter just in new wine skins as concerns LGBT people. We condemn the letter as an organic whole without qualification. In our opinion, to highlight one portion of the document as positive without taking into consideration the whole document is to do a disservice to LGBT Catholics in the pews of our Catholic Parishes and a cause for confusion by our community. In Maine, the Catholic Church--bolstered by $180,000 in donations from bishops in 45 other dioceses -- poured resources and clout into an effort to pass a ballot initiative earlier this month overturning a gay marriage law. The church-backed ballot measure passed, 53-47 percent, despite the fact that gay rights advocates expected to defeat the initiative in Maine, which is one of the nation's most secular state. The bishops were also seen as instrumental in passing Proposition 8 in California a year ago, which barred gay marriage. We cannot afford to be ambiguous when it comes to fighting homophobia in our Church, the LGBT Community deserves better. ### Contact Person: Joe Murray Rainbow Sash Movement <ꕬʒ> 312-266-0182 312-266-0182 ©Rainbow Sash Movement Media provided by: www.GayWebSource.com - Gay Media and Press Network.  |
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