 |
|
|
A Compassionate Minority |
|
By Jesse Monteagudo
On the other hand, as a gay man, I am concerned about the condition of gay men everywhere, including the Church. There are some who blame gay priests for the current problems, arguing that the Church would be better off if it rid itself of such disturbing elements. Thus I found it refreshing to learn about an article by Rev. James Martin, published in the Jesuit weekly America, that admits that gay men make better priests. According to Father Martin, gay priests possess three "gifts" that they use "to lead people closer to God". "Because of the isolation that many homosexuals feel, especially in early adolescence, they are often led to develop deep inner lives," notes the good priest. Furthermore, "the vast majority of homosexuals in the United States are acquainted with the suffering that comes from being a misunderstood and often persecuted minority. Being schooled in this unique experience of suffering can result in a profound sense of compassion and identification with the most marginalized in society." Finally, says Martin, gay men possess the "gift" of creativity: "In this post-Vatican II era of interest in the liturgy, in the craft of preaching, in the place of art, dance and music in the church ... might God be calling homosexual priests ... to contribute their own gifts in these areas?" Martin generalizes, of course. But the fact remains that, in spite of the Church's historic condemnation of homosexuality, a large percentage of its clergy is gay. One study, by psychotherapist A. W. Richard Sipe, concluded that 30% of all Catholic priests are gay, of which half are sexually active. Other studies put the percentage of gay priests as high as 50%. Since these figures are far higher than the 5-10% attributed to the general population, there must be something about the priesthood that attracts many gay men. The gay author Michael Arditti, writing in the New Statesman (1996), gave several reasons why "gay men remain in an institution which views their sexuality as an 'intrinsic moral evil'": (1) Gay men have "an affinity for religious experience, described by Carl Jung as 'a spiritual receptivity which makes them responsive to revelation.'" (2) Gay men "feel profoundly hurt and rejected by heterosexual society. . . . It gives them both an ability to identify with others in pain and a desire to improve their lot.... Given the number of gay teachers and social workers, as well as gay priests, it seems fair to equate the clerical vocation with those of other caring professions." (3) Gay men are "drawn to the 'Stephen Sondheim' side of the priesthood - the makeup and make-believe - what a character in Easter [a novel written by Arditti] describes as 'high camp at the high altar.' . . . Ritual plays an important part in the lives of gay men, whether or not they are religious." (4) The priesthood offers gay men "a parental role. Such men, unlikely to have children of their own, are given an alternative family"
Unlike the Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish or Muslim clergy, Roman
Catholic priests are forbidden to marry. Therefore, the priesthood attracts
many men who don't want to marry and need a good reason not to. In Catholic
countries, the son who was "different" from the rest was the one who became a
priest.
The priesthood allowed same-sex oriented men the opportunity live in communities of men; whether they be seminaries, monasteries or rectories. Though many gay priests remain celibate, others find it easy to practice same-sex relations discreetly. Some gay men go all the way up to the top of the Church hierarchy, as did Francis J. Spellman, the late Cardinal Archbishop of New York. Currently the American Catholic Church has a severe shortage of priests. In spite of that, some prelates want to purge the Church of all gay clergy, in order to distract the faithful from the current scandal. Bishop Wilton D. Gregory, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, complained about the "homosexual atmosphere" in some seminaries and the Church's "ongoing struggle" to make sure the priesthood is not "dominated by homosexual men."
But celibate or not, most gay priests are conscientious in their vocation, and some - like Father Mychal Judge - are downright heroic. Gay priests, wrote Chuck Colbert, in the Advocate, "are compassionate, bridging between the gifts of the Catholic tradition they love and the needs of the particular human heart." Rather than being "a plague on the priesthood," gay priests "have been miracle workers." The Church would be stupid to rid itself of such worthy servants. Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance author and activist who lives in South Florida with his significant other. He can be reached at jessemonteagudo@aol.com. |
Up till now I have refrained from writing about the ongoing sex scandal
embroiling the Roman Catholic Church. Though I am disturbed by recent
allegations of clerical child abuse, as a non-Catholic I feel that this is a
mess that needs to be take care of by Catholics themselves.
© 1997-2002 BEI