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October 29, 2006

Stay In The Closet - But We'll Baptize Your Kids

The Catholic Church still wants LGBT folk to stay in the closet and not have sex, but they aren't going to punish our kids. Is Pope Prada going soft?

Children adopted by gay couples may be baptized in the Roman Catholic Church, even though the church does not support such adoptions, calling them "a pastoral concern," according to new guidelines for ministering to gay men and lesbians that will be presented to U.S. bishops next month in Baltimore.

The 23-page draft document affirms traditional church teachings on same-sex issues, such as forbidding the blessing of same-sex unions or marriages, and addresses some relatively new issues, such as discrimination against and harassment of gay men and lesbians.

An early draft of the guidelines welcomes celibate gay men and lesbians to take part in parish life while asserting the church's "right to deny roles of service to those whose behavior violates her teaching." Public announcements of one's sexual orientation "are not helpful and should not be encouraged," the draft cautions, and it says church ministers must not bless same-sex unions or marriages or promote them in any way.

I'm not too worried about it, though. I realize that people that challenge their authoritarian teachings (about Jesus' love, ironically) are a challenge to their power and wealth, so they're going to fight us all the way.

In the end, much like when they decided a few years ago that the Earth really does orbit the Sun, they'll come to see the truth. Or, more likely, admit the truth they already know. We are people that are just as good (and bad) as any other people.

Posted by Alan at October 29, 2006 05:10 AM