THE GOODNESS OF HOMOSEXUALITY - THE GALILEO RECONCILIATION COMMISSION (GRC)
by Tom Luce December 9, 2013
I have pleaded since 2000 with active Catholics--fellow-priests, readers of the “National Catholic Reporter”, pew mates-- reportedly over 60% approving of the goodness of homosexuality-- to call for the establishment of the “Galileo Reconciliation Commission” (GRC). The GRC would have been an intentional calling of a truce between religious dissenters, between believing and loving Catholics in the 21st century, to put an end to one another, by positive acts of loving embrace, reparations, and ongoing doctrinal development. My call for the GRC has received ZERO response. Of course I have no standing whatsoever, but the thought of a GRC seems like something that should have been constructed long before now.
When I was a devout seminarian in Rome during the Vatican Council II (1960-64) brother Augustin Bea (yes another Jesuit and cardinal) and brother Angelo Roncalli (John XXIII) began calling all Christians to join in the struggle for Christian Unity in such an unheard of way with the basic principle of all groups looking for how to do “the least harm” to one another because of their teachings. Brother Angelo even took out of the Good Friday liturgy the description of Jews as “perfidious”. Alas, only because of our tiny minority (LGBTQ) status and because of dogma, it would seem, we cannot count on anything but the slow, inevitable change of dogma through time and closeted, silent suffering. See note #1 below about the book by Byron Williams, "1963 The Year Of Hope And Hostility".
Which brings me to the “Kristof” dilemma. Nickolas Kristof wrote an editorial in the NYT, “A Church Mary Can Love” (4.17.10). He spells out at length his conflicting observations of the Catholic Church.
“In my travels around the world, I encounter two Catholic Churches…one is a modern echo of the Pharisees whom Jesus criticized…another is the grass-roots Catholic Church that does far more good in the world than it ever gets credit for.”
This observation in itself could be sufficient foundation for my assertion. Clearly for all the good done by/with/through the Catholic Church, it is patently unable to avoid being human and fallible—completely, viciously fallible. Yes, of the dedication of life unto death to the ideals of Jesus carried out throughout the world by humble, Catholic women and men living/working with the most abject, there is no doubt. But when the whole “economy of salvation” is based on myths that demand submission under pain of spiritual death—in the old days, physical death—when convinced of a dissenting position, what real value is there in such a system? Reformation-Counter Reformation grizzly tales belie a system that bears no resemblance to the Jesus in whose name these atrocities took place.
When slavery can be taught as allowed by the “Scriptures” and then Pope Nicholas V can decree,
"We grant you [Kings of Spain and Portugal] …, with our Apostolic Authority, full and free permission to invade, search out, capture, and subjugate the Saracens and pagans and any other unbelievers and enemies of Christ wherever they may be, as well as their kingdoms, duchies, counties, principalities, and other property [...] and to reduce their persons into perpetual slavery.” Dum Diversas” (18 June 1452)
And then to the contrary when Pope John Paul II condemns slavery as evil and Pope Francis says, “slave labor”--“goes against God”, when referring to the workers in Bangladesh—how can such a turnabout be from an infallible source?
In my own time as a priest of Vat II and inspired to promote the “preferential option for the poor”, I have personally worked on the ground in Nicaragua, Guatemala and since 2004 in Haiti <hurrah.org>, only to see more “status quo” domination of church leadership resulting in the annihilation by the most fiendish methods—ripping babies out of wombs, slicing off genitals, decapitation, torture beyond imagination—that once again has brought violent death to hundreds of thousands of innocent people, women, children, elderly and men.
When devoted non-violent leaders such as Father Rutilio Grande, one of Archbishop Oscar Romero’s (El Salvador) priests, is murdered for helping peasants organize food cooperatives, and when Archbishop Romero, after pleading with Pres. Carter, as well as Pope John Paul II, to stop the violence, is also refused and murdered at Mass, then it is only crystal clear again that the Catholic Church is simply human and prone to political maneuvers based on political power plays favoring the “haves” as champions against “communism” rather than spiritual power plays that should have enabled the “non-violent“ poor to win some of their due.
Brother Romero couldn’t get an audience with the Pope and so he had to get in line at St. Peter’s Square with the thousands of others waiting to see the Pope. Brother Josef Ratzinger, to become Pope Benedict XVI, was the chief doctrinal authority at the time. These two Europeans having had their young lives impressed with Polish and German politics took the “conservative” line regarding communism, “…"You must reach an understanding with the government! A good Christian does not look for trouble with the authorities! The church wants peace and harmony!” - Pope John Paul II (“Mirrors:Stories of Almost Everyone” by Eduardo Galeano) So much for Vat II, Latin American Bishops, “liberation theology”, attacked from within the church as communism/socialism. Where did these people learn their theology?
The new Pope, Francis I, Brother Bergoglio, of Argentina followed the conservative line of Brothers Ratzinger and Wojtala regarding organizing the poor for social justice back in Archbishop Romero’s day. With regard to specific charges of committing crimes against his people, there is no clear-cut case. But it was the total and uncompromising condemnation of "liberation theology" that allowed a church leader like him to stay in the background of the merciless killings while the U.S. sent $1.5 million in aid every day for 12 years to the right wingers. Jimmy Carter never answered Brother Romero's plea for help. But Brother Bergoglio has put Brother Oscar’s sainthood on fast track. See update at Wikipedia
I rest my case.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not calling just for reform of the Catholic Church on such issues screaming for doctrinal and ecclesial reform like all of sexuality which is behind the celibate priest law, only male priest law, fascist patriarchy. I’m for a Catholic Church humbled into sheer human size working as God created all human beings for holiness in creating justice in the world here and now. This is what I am convinced is true of all so-called “revealed” religions no matter how ancient or hallowed. Disabused of its unique divine connections I’m sure that a church “Mary could be proud of…” will continue on.
What I am calling for is a renunciation by all religions of their claim to a special connection with God, above all in the realm of peace/justice. No more wars in God’s name. No more persecution of “dissenters”. For this work I am deeply indebted to the World Union of Deists (WUD -click for website)– “God Gave Us Reason, Not Religion”--founded by Bob Johnson in 1998 <www.deism.com> for my discovering Deism—in spite of all my theological training or even high school civics class for that matter—so eloquently enunciated by Thomas Paine , “The Age of Reason”, (click for Wikipedia) and by my fellow Vermonter, Ethan Allen, (click for Wikipedia) by many of the founding fathers, and by eminent thinkers like Albert Einstein. Reason alone can come to posit the existence of a loving, just God, like Thomas Aquinas found. But reason also has to reject what Einstein called, “…the most childish superstitions…” referring to so-called God inspired scriptures. For him, “…religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds.” For an understanding of the fullness of the God of Deism you can get a great start at the WUD website. See note #2 about Notre Dame Cathedral being dedicated to "reason" in 1792.
The challenge to us Deists is not so much figuring out what to do with our “revealed” religious baggage, much of which I’ve personally discarded already. I know that there are many who will stay in the Catholic Church who long ago let go of the RC’s indefensible teachings/beliefs but who feel “Mary’s” church is worthwhile. My plea to them is to move forward boldly along with the many “Catholic” reform groups—Dignity, New Ways Ministries, American Catholic Council etc---pushing for the big reforms and ridding their church of its injustices. I’m not worried about anyone I encourage to join me putting humankind’s morals in jeopardy if God no longer speaks to us through the Catholic Church or any church for that matter. The God of Reason continues speaking inexorably and with infinite truth and beauty, pressing us to love one another through justice non-violently. No more political games, just spiritual power plays3 I will support other religious groups that have rejected infallible God-ties such as Unitarian-Universalists, Church of Religious Science, and although “Christian”, the United Church of Christ that has endorsed the stance of a “Just Peace Church” and pioneered inclusion for LGBTQ’s with its “open and affirming” program. My priority will be reparations to LGBTQ folks. Last, but not least, I will support the many advocacy groups like Amnesty International, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, working for justice.
The real struggle is to counteract the scandalous, dangerous ranting, money-grubbing “biblical” preaching that is still raging out there against the poor, all over the world, funded by US money promoting Armageddon and the final days in favor of certain “believer” groups. We have to join forces with the WUD in dealing with all these “revealed” religions.
I’m going to listen and dance to inspired Gospel as well as to Widor’s organ Toccata F Minor (click for YouTube site) written within triumphant Catholicism. God gives us these magnificent creations to celebrate my truths, my victories. I’m as driven as I was playing priest as a 4 year old, but I know who my God is now.
I wish I could do more for you Eric Lembembe! (click for report of his killing in Cameroon 2013)
Please join me.
B.T.W. I’m going to continue building my blogsite, “The Least Harm” <leastharm.weebly.com> which I started hoping to create the Galileo Reconciliation Commission. I’ll just update it with this major step I’m taking to work with Deism.
1 See: “1963:The Year of Hope & Hostility” (click for review) by Byron Williams (c, 2013 Byronspeaks)
2 Note: I wasn't aware of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris having been rededicated to the worship of “Reason” in 1793 (click for Wikipedia) amidst the internecine craziness of the French revolutionaries, the same year Thomas Paine was imprisoned by them.)
When I was a devout seminarian in Rome during the Vatican Council II (1960-64) brother Augustin Bea (yes another Jesuit and cardinal) and brother Angelo Roncalli (John XXIII) began calling all Christians to join in the struggle for Christian Unity in such an unheard of way with the basic principle of all groups looking for how to do “the least harm” to one another because of their teachings. Brother Angelo even took out of the Good Friday liturgy the description of Jews as “perfidious”. Alas, only because of our tiny minority (LGBTQ) status and because of dogma, it would seem, we cannot count on anything but the slow, inevitable change of dogma through time and closeted, silent suffering. See note #1 below about the book by Byron Williams, "1963 The Year Of Hope And Hostility".
Which brings me to the “Kristof” dilemma. Nickolas Kristof wrote an editorial in the NYT, “A Church Mary Can Love” (4.17.10). He spells out at length his conflicting observations of the Catholic Church.
“In my travels around the world, I encounter two Catholic Churches…one is a modern echo of the Pharisees whom Jesus criticized…another is the grass-roots Catholic Church that does far more good in the world than it ever gets credit for.”
This observation in itself could be sufficient foundation for my assertion. Clearly for all the good done by/with/through the Catholic Church, it is patently unable to avoid being human and fallible—completely, viciously fallible. Yes, of the dedication of life unto death to the ideals of Jesus carried out throughout the world by humble, Catholic women and men living/working with the most abject, there is no doubt. But when the whole “economy of salvation” is based on myths that demand submission under pain of spiritual death—in the old days, physical death—when convinced of a dissenting position, what real value is there in such a system? Reformation-Counter Reformation grizzly tales belie a system that bears no resemblance to the Jesus in whose name these atrocities took place.
When slavery can be taught as allowed by the “Scriptures” and then Pope Nicholas V can decree,
"We grant you [Kings of Spain and Portugal] …, with our Apostolic Authority, full and free permission to invade, search out, capture, and subjugate the Saracens and pagans and any other unbelievers and enemies of Christ wherever they may be, as well as their kingdoms, duchies, counties, principalities, and other property [...] and to reduce their persons into perpetual slavery.” Dum Diversas” (18 June 1452)
And then to the contrary when Pope John Paul II condemns slavery as evil and Pope Francis says, “slave labor”--“goes against God”, when referring to the workers in Bangladesh—how can such a turnabout be from an infallible source?
In my own time as a priest of Vat II and inspired to promote the “preferential option for the poor”, I have personally worked on the ground in Nicaragua, Guatemala and since 2004 in Haiti <hurrah.org>, only to see more “status quo” domination of church leadership resulting in the annihilation by the most fiendish methods—ripping babies out of wombs, slicing off genitals, decapitation, torture beyond imagination—that once again has brought violent death to hundreds of thousands of innocent people, women, children, elderly and men.
When devoted non-violent leaders such as Father Rutilio Grande, one of Archbishop Oscar Romero’s (El Salvador) priests, is murdered for helping peasants organize food cooperatives, and when Archbishop Romero, after pleading with Pres. Carter, as well as Pope John Paul II, to stop the violence, is also refused and murdered at Mass, then it is only crystal clear again that the Catholic Church is simply human and prone to political maneuvers based on political power plays favoring the “haves” as champions against “communism” rather than spiritual power plays that should have enabled the “non-violent“ poor to win some of their due.
Brother Romero couldn’t get an audience with the Pope and so he had to get in line at St. Peter’s Square with the thousands of others waiting to see the Pope. Brother Josef Ratzinger, to become Pope Benedict XVI, was the chief doctrinal authority at the time. These two Europeans having had their young lives impressed with Polish and German politics took the “conservative” line regarding communism, “…"You must reach an understanding with the government! A good Christian does not look for trouble with the authorities! The church wants peace and harmony!” - Pope John Paul II (“Mirrors:Stories of Almost Everyone” by Eduardo Galeano) So much for Vat II, Latin American Bishops, “liberation theology”, attacked from within the church as communism/socialism. Where did these people learn their theology?
The new Pope, Francis I, Brother Bergoglio, of Argentina followed the conservative line of Brothers Ratzinger and Wojtala regarding organizing the poor for social justice back in Archbishop Romero’s day. With regard to specific charges of committing crimes against his people, there is no clear-cut case. But it was the total and uncompromising condemnation of "liberation theology" that allowed a church leader like him to stay in the background of the merciless killings while the U.S. sent $1.5 million in aid every day for 12 years to the right wingers. Jimmy Carter never answered Brother Romero's plea for help. But Brother Bergoglio has put Brother Oscar’s sainthood on fast track. See update at Wikipedia
I rest my case.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not calling just for reform of the Catholic Church on such issues screaming for doctrinal and ecclesial reform like all of sexuality which is behind the celibate priest law, only male priest law, fascist patriarchy. I’m for a Catholic Church humbled into sheer human size working as God created all human beings for holiness in creating justice in the world here and now. This is what I am convinced is true of all so-called “revealed” religions no matter how ancient or hallowed. Disabused of its unique divine connections I’m sure that a church “Mary could be proud of…” will continue on.
What I am calling for is a renunciation by all religions of their claim to a special connection with God, above all in the realm of peace/justice. No more wars in God’s name. No more persecution of “dissenters”. For this work I am deeply indebted to the World Union of Deists (WUD -click for website)– “God Gave Us Reason, Not Religion”--founded by Bob Johnson in 1998 <www.deism.com> for my discovering Deism—in spite of all my theological training or even high school civics class for that matter—so eloquently enunciated by Thomas Paine , “The Age of Reason”, (click for Wikipedia) and by my fellow Vermonter, Ethan Allen, (click for Wikipedia) by many of the founding fathers, and by eminent thinkers like Albert Einstein. Reason alone can come to posit the existence of a loving, just God, like Thomas Aquinas found. But reason also has to reject what Einstein called, “…the most childish superstitions…” referring to so-called God inspired scriptures. For him, “…religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds.” For an understanding of the fullness of the God of Deism you can get a great start at the WUD website. See note #2 about Notre Dame Cathedral being dedicated to "reason" in 1792.
The challenge to us Deists is not so much figuring out what to do with our “revealed” religious baggage, much of which I’ve personally discarded already. I know that there are many who will stay in the Catholic Church who long ago let go of the RC’s indefensible teachings/beliefs but who feel “Mary’s” church is worthwhile. My plea to them is to move forward boldly along with the many “Catholic” reform groups—Dignity, New Ways Ministries, American Catholic Council etc---pushing for the big reforms and ridding their church of its injustices. I’m not worried about anyone I encourage to join me putting humankind’s morals in jeopardy if God no longer speaks to us through the Catholic Church or any church for that matter. The God of Reason continues speaking inexorably and with infinite truth and beauty, pressing us to love one another through justice non-violently. No more political games, just spiritual power plays3 I will support other religious groups that have rejected infallible God-ties such as Unitarian-Universalists, Church of Religious Science, and although “Christian”, the United Church of Christ that has endorsed the stance of a “Just Peace Church” and pioneered inclusion for LGBTQ’s with its “open and affirming” program. My priority will be reparations to LGBTQ folks. Last, but not least, I will support the many advocacy groups like Amnesty International, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, working for justice.
The real struggle is to counteract the scandalous, dangerous ranting, money-grubbing “biblical” preaching that is still raging out there against the poor, all over the world, funded by US money promoting Armageddon and the final days in favor of certain “believer” groups. We have to join forces with the WUD in dealing with all these “revealed” religions.
I’m going to listen and dance to inspired Gospel as well as to Widor’s organ Toccata F Minor (click for YouTube site) written within triumphant Catholicism. God gives us these magnificent creations to celebrate my truths, my victories. I’m as driven as I was playing priest as a 4 year old, but I know who my God is now.
I wish I could do more for you Eric Lembembe! (click for report of his killing in Cameroon 2013)
Please join me.
B.T.W. I’m going to continue building my blogsite, “The Least Harm” <leastharm.weebly.com> which I started hoping to create the Galileo Reconciliation Commission. I’ll just update it with this major step I’m taking to work with Deism.
1 See: “1963:The Year of Hope & Hostility” (click for review) by Byron Williams (c, 2013 Byronspeaks)
2 Note: I wasn't aware of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris having been rededicated to the worship of “Reason” in 1793 (click for Wikipedia) amidst the internecine craziness of the French revolutionaries, the same year Thomas Paine was imprisoned by them.)