In an NCR Voices column on October 18, Sister Christine Schenk reflected on released LGBTQ policies in the Diocese of Cleveland and the response of its Sisters of St. Joseph community. Below are NCR reader responses to this notice with letters that have been edited for length and clarity.
I appreciate Schenk’s article on the direction of parish and school policy in the Diocese of Cleveland regarding sexuality and gender identity. It is heartbreaking to read and, at the same time, validating because our family has experienced ignorance and hatred from our local parish towards our family members. This is not Cleveland, although a similar message of intolerance and “disgust” is being communicated to the LGBTQ+ communities of Portland and Oregon in general.
The American Catholic Church has lost its way when it comes to healthy human development. Can the Church be more rational and informed about human sexuality in general? I hoped that there would be a more measured reflection after the priest sexual abuse scandals.
KAREN CHENIER
Lake Oswego, Oregon
***
Fantastic news from the Diocese of Cleveland! Prayers are answered, they follow Christ’s lead. Christ did not condemn the woman, but told her to sin no more.
HUGH DENNING
Denver, Colorado
***
It’s a heartbreaking piece. The cause of the problem is the black and white world of the Catholic Church. Progress has been made in scientific fields, but the Church fails to revise its understanding of natural law in the context of new knowledge. Why are the worldviews of the time of Jesus, the Greek philosophers, and Aquinas the historical points upon which everything else rests?
The moral harm deliberately inflicted on people in the name of their God is staggering. It is their God because it is a god they created, not the God whose reality this creation is. God is timeless, unlimited, and always revealing, but humanity’s limited abilities prefer to control its consumption of God for many selfish reasons. Is it too difficult to continue to expand your horizons? Does this take us out of our comfort zone?
This dynamic is currently at work in the Vatican where Pope Francis, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is attempting to lead the Church to be and do more. What a struggle the poor man had to lead his team of resistant oxen to move the Church into the 21st century! Is the burden too heavy for those who would rather be in a green field of soft grass than work to create an inclusive Church for all? The church said to have been founded by Jesus, where everyone was welcome, has transformed into a cult of museum visitors. The world will not wait, nor will the Holy Spirit. The question of Jesus finding faith on Earth upon his return remains open.
MICHAEL J. MCDERMOTT
North Brookfield, Massachusetts
***
Comparisons of the Dioceses of Davenport and Cleveland regarding their responses and policies regarding their LGBTQ populations constitute a bleak view of our polarized church and culture. While the former accepts all as children of God and will walk with them in respect and understanding, the latter seeks to return to the days of judgment and ostracism.
One of the issues being addressed by the current synod is how the LGBTQ community can be welcomed into the Church. People should feel welcomed as children of God and not subject to the ignorance that once prevailed. If the synod adopts Pope Francis’ vision that everyone is welcome, some conservative prelates will struggle to reconcile their own biases with the expectations of the faithful who will embrace a more open Church.
Any institution that bases its exclusivity on archaic views will lose not only the people involved, but also others who sympathize with it. The church is experiencing a decline in attendance. This will not change if people are treated as second class or considered disorderly. Institutions rise and fall based on their reputation. If the bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland believes he reflects the opinions of the majority of his people, he places pragmatism before piety. The result of this myopia will be his loss of credibility as a leader and as a bishop.
Much of our Church’s problem lies in too many self-referential clergy who refuse to understand how our society is changing, and who therefore condemn their own churches to irrelevance.
CHARLES A. LEGUERN
Granger, Indiana
