Thursday, September 23, 2010

Homosexual Advocacy Group Not Legitimately #Catholic, Says Military Archbishop

(Warning: A bit of bad language is in this post.)

Someone anonymously placed my name on the email list of the homosexual advocacy group, "Catholics for Equality." The only reason I'm mentioning this is because of the news story I recently found, where the Archbishop of Military Services said that the group “cannot be legitimately recognized as Catholic.”

From the news story:

Last week leaders of the group joined a lobbying effort sponsored by Servicemembers United. They lobbied Congress and asked key senators and Catholic leaders to support changing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Catholics for Equality Board Member Patsy Trujillo, a former New Mexico state legislator, said the group was confident that senators would vote to change present policy.

“Further, we trust our Catholic Senators will vote in their conscience and the will of the pro-equality Catholics in their state, and not the misinformed dictates of Rome,” she said in a Catholics for Equality press release.

On Tuesday the U.S. Senate blocked the bill that would allow changes to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. While 60 votes were required to start debate, the final vote was 56 to 43.

While his latest statement did not reiterate the archdiocese’s position, in a June 1 statement Archbishop Broglio opposed the policy change. Saying moral beliefs should not be sacrificed for “merely political considerations,” he explained that Catholic chaplains can never “condone” homosexual behavior.

At the time he also voiced concern that a change in policy might negatively affect the role of the chaplain in the pulpit, the classroom, the barracks and the office.

CNA’s inquiry to the archbishop recounted CNA’s previous report on Catholics for Equality.

The organization was founded by groups such as New Ways Ministry and Dignity USA with cooperation from the homosexual advocacy group Human Rights Committee (HRC). It aims to “support, educate, and mobilize equality-supporting Catholics to advance LGBT equality at federal, state, and local levels.”

It also charges the Catholic hierarchy with favoring discrimination and having an “anti-equality voice” that does not represent Catholics.

In his Monday statement, Archbishop Broglio explained that according to canon law a group may call itself Catholic if it has been approved by a bishop or recognized by the Holy See in some manner.

“It is doubtful that the group in question has such approval. Therefore, it cannot be legitimately recognized as Catholic,” he commented.

“Translating the language of political systems to the Church simply demonstrates a lack of understanding of what the Church is,” Archbishop Broglio commented.

He also insisted that Church teaching is based in love and truth.

“It is not the desire of the Archdiocese for Military Services to offend anyone, but there is an obligation to teach the truth in love, even when that truth is displeasing to some or politically incorrect to others. The Holy Father made that quite clear in Caritas in Veritate.” (Bravo.)

Phil Attey, the present acting executive director of Catholics for Equality, is a former employee of HRC. Last year Attey created a website to “aggregate reports on every gay priest” in the Archdiocese of Washington to help them “stand up to the church hierarchy” on homosexual issues.

The Catholics for Equality website asks readers to report “anti-equality activity” in Catholic parishes, dioceses or community activities.


Those who are Catholic and experience a same-sex attraction know very well what the Catholic Church says about it. To use the name "Catholic" in their name implies sanction from the diocese bishop or Holy See, which it has not received, nor will ever receive.

Remember the two-pronged attack: approve homosexual unions and approve women ordained as priests. Both go hand-in-hand. As the relentless march toward secularism continues in our society, we will see those two camps get louder and more militant in their fight to change the Catholic Church according to their political whims.

If you're the one who placed me on the email list, please know this: The Catholic Church is not a political party. It can't be bent to your will. It can't be pressured to march alongside the world, because the world's system is anti-Christ and anti-life. It truly is "the culture of death" on so many levels; not the least of which is a promotion of a warped sexuality that is the result of a broken heart. A wounded heart is the root of so many wrong choices and this is one of them.

No matter how many "rights" activists win (and I'm talking broad activism, here, that advocates government force), there still is "one more battle" to be won before they can be happy. Except they're never happy. It's never enough. They go from battle to battle, growing more embittered and resentful as they think the whole world is against them and dammit, they're going to make the world love them!

It doesn't work that way. As far as I know, the gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered in the United States enjoy freedoms that are unknown in other parts of the world. Support the creeping influence of Muslims? (Who of course are claiming their "rights.") They kill homosexuals in their countries.

And really, what "rights" are left to claim? So what if you're in the military and you can't "tell" that you're gay. Why is that so important, anyway? You're in the military to fight for our country, not gallop around insisting that people recognize your sexuality. So do your job and fight the right battle, the one you're being paid to do. My brother was in the Army and as far as I knew, the Army owned him. He wasn't allowed to do many things. His "freedom" was curtailed so he could do the job he was trained to do.

That's what I say to gays in the military. Get over it. Do your job. It is a sacrifice that many in this country, including me, appreciate more than you'll know. I know it's a sacrifice to give up your choices, to go where you're sent and do jobs you'd rather not do. But you signed up for it. It was your choice. You knew the rules going in, so to me, it's rather unfair that you expect to change the rules now.

Do I want a bunch of whiners in the military? Hell, no! The military is supposed to be one mean fightin' machine. All this whining does is make me wish I was in the military so I could kick some ass and take names. I'm sure I'm not alone.

Now, dialing down on my gung-ho attitude, I'd like to reiterate something the Archbishop said. The Catholic Church's position on homosexuality is both Biblical and compassionate. Speaking the truth about sin is never easy when someone is enjoying their sin. Our "inner man" is a tough one. Insisting on its own way, being willful and deliberately thick-headed when it comes to hearing from God about something he'd rather not change. But if you are reading this and are gay, please ask yourself this: Why? Why is it a sin? Why does God condemn homosexuality? If you are honest with yourself and open to God's voice, you will hear the answer. There is healing for you if you struggle with this. I've known several gay men who turned toward God, surrendering everything, and were radically changed, even as far as getting married and having children. Some remained single and celibate, deciding to give God their sacrifice as worship. And they were filled with joy.

It can happen. But it won't happen if you have a group who purports itself to be "Catholic" encouraging you to ignore God and do whatever the hell you want. In fact, I know exactly who acts the same way and his home isn't in heaven, but in the fires of darkness that he desires to drag all of us into. Don't listen to his lies.

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