April, 2001
Very Rev. Gerald Barnes, Bishop
Father Martin Diaz
Diocese of San Bernardino
1201 East Highland Avenue
San Bernardino, CA 92404
RE: Ministry for Gays/Lesbians
Dear Brothers in Christ:
Participants in the Gay and Lesbian religious
movement are always pleased
when doors are opened. We are equally pleased to learn
that under your leadership an
attempt is made to offer a compassionate ministry for
Gay and Lesbian Roman
Catholics. Our prayers are with you in this endeavor.
The political Gay movement began in Germany in 1867
and was taken to the
U.S. after World War I. The depression and World War
II interrupted the movement. It
resurfaced in the late 1940’s as science fiction
clubs. In the 1950’s, homophile organizations were formed to focus on education and equal
enforcement of the law. In 1968,
Morris Kight formed the Gay Community Services Center
in Los Angeles. Shortly after,
the Stonewall bar in New York became focus for a
rebellion by its Gay customers who
opposed police harassment. From these birthplaces grew
the Gay Liberation Movement. In recognition of other gender-gifted persons,
the movement recognizes Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and transgendered persons.
The movement was reinvigorated by the work of Anita
Bryant who made it her issue to oppose social, political and legal justice for
gender-gifted people. Her services
provided ample opportunity to form and strengthen
organizations to focus more directly
on issues pertaining to our people. She forced us to
design professional organizations
which later were able to meet the challenges of AIDS.
A milestone was the removal of homosexuality as a
pathology by the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric
Association. Two great studies
were conducted in the 1960’s on sexual orientation.
The National Institutes of Mental
Health in the USA and the Wolfenden Committee in the
British Commonwealth each determined that sexual orientation is a human
condition fixed by age 2. Each APA was
prodded with a little political persuasion, and each
has begun to treat homosexuality as
a human condition, not pathology. Fortunately, the
Holy See came to the same conclusion and determined that sexual orientation is not a
matter of sin.
The religious movement also took shape. There is a
vague reference to a Mass
celebrated by an Old Catholic priest for a group of
Gay men in 1917 in New York. In
1946, Archbishop George Hyde of the Eucharistic
Catholic Communion celebrated
Mass for Gay men in Atlanta. In 1959 Glide Memorial
Church in San Francisco started
the Council on Religion and the Homosexual. In 1962 a
Congregationalist pastor began
an overt pastoral ministry to homosexuals in New York
City.
The attitude across the nation in the 1960’s was
significant in opening the doors
of religion to the spiritual and religious needs of
homosexuals. Leadership was needed
to provide prophetic vision. In 1968, Rev. Troy Perry,
a former Pentecostal minister,
dared to say to Gay men and Lesbian women in Los
Angeles that God loved them.
That was the start of the Universal Fellowship of
Metropolitan Community Churches.
This denomination claims over 300 congregations in
many different countries. Under
the prophetic vision of Perry there is virtually no
religion without some agency of ministry for homosexuals. The most recent is Al Fatiya, a Moslem group of Gay men and
Lesbian women. A number of Jewish congregations were
established. Most mainstream Protestant bodies have reconciling
congregations or active Gay/Lesbian groups.
Eastern Orthodox have AXIOS. There are Buddhist groups
and atheist ethical groups.
Shortly after Perry started the MCC, some Roman
Catholics, in the spirit of
Vatican Council II, formed a lay organization in
support of Gay men and Lesbian women: Dignity. The membership did their own theology.
Rome and some bishops took offense at the members of Dignity doing their own
theology, suggesting a ministry for
homosexuals in keeping with the magisterium. Another
Roman Catholic organization
formed in the early 1970’s is New Ways Ministry in Mt.
Rainier (MD). Founded by Sister
Jeannine Gramick and Father Robert Nugent, the intent
was to offer a compassionate
pastoral theology consistent with church teaching.
Others, such as Father John McNeil,
have directed pastoral attention to the needs of Gay
men and Lesbian women. Sadly,
those named have been “disciplined” by Rome.
In 1986, Cardinal Ratzinger issued a letter
addressing the pastoral care of homosexuals. Many found the letter offensive and
frightening. It was perceived as an authorization for local bishops to persecute Gay men and Lesbian women by opposing legislation protective of their fundamental human and civil
rights. The language seemed to
indicate that Rome believed homosexual persons to be
objectively disordered. This, for
us, was tantamount to the “science” of social hygiene.
After the issuance of this letter, a number of
bishops in the US began offering a
compassionate ministry for homosexuals. Some dioceses
have established formal
ministries. All organizations in the Gay and Lesbian
movement welcome a responsible
discussion of the topic and a nonjudgmental approach
to the person. We understand
that there are many different religious perspectives
and welcome dialogue.
In San Bernardino, the gender-gifted community is
provided ministry and pastoral care by our church, Heartland Christian Fellowship
MCC, and First Congregational
UCC. To our knowledge there are no other open and
affirming churches in this city. In
the near future, I hope to invite the people from
these ministries to form a free association. We would welcome a representative of the Diocese of San Bernardino.
Last year, Proposition 22 was an emotional issue
which seldom received a fair
hearing. Passing this law did nothing to protect the
“integrity of marriage”, but clearly
excluded Gay men and Lesbian women from participating
fully in society and in civil
contracts. A number of bishops provided money in
support of the proposal. Sadly, this
appears to be injury against the gender-gifted. We
anticipate that the law passed in
Vermont will find its way to California. No civil law
pertaining to same-gender relationships affects the religious, spiritual or moral
positions of any religion or institution. A law
protecting same-gender relationships is clearly needed
in the gender-gifted community.
We anticipate that a bishop who approaches the
gender-gifted with compassion would
not oppose such initiative to take shape and become
law.
If there is anything which we can do to assist the
diocese, please let us know. I
have already referred three Roman Catholic Lesbian
women to stay tuned to the formation of this ministry.
God bless you.
Sincerely,
Father Paul Breton
cc: GLCIE, Heartland Christian Fellowship MCC, First
Congregational UCC, The Sun
