BONDINGS Volume 28, No. 2 A Publication of New Ways Ministry Spring 2008 Gay Catholics Implore Pope to Listen and Love By Jonathan Rubin Religion News Service ents do “violence to these children.” Broadway production. “The youths on this April 10, 2008 But the gay and lesbian Catholics said issue are smarter than we are.” leaving the church isn’t always an option. New Ways director Francis DeBernardo Gay and lesbian Catholics on Thursday “There’s nothing that could push me said the pope has walled himself off from (April 10) urged Pope Benedict XVI to see away from the church. Nothing,” said rank-and-file gay Catholics. “Unfortunately, their lives and hear their testimonies during Heather Mizeur, a Maryland state legisla- this leader does not understand the issue of his U.S. visit next week, even as many ac- tor, who said she encouraged her partner homosexuality or does not understand gay knowledged that may be unlikely. to convert to Christianity. and lesbian people,” said DeBernardo. With humor and intensely personal sto- “All the 10 Commandments boil But Maguire said the pope could fix that by ries, the gay and lesbian Catholics declared down to love,” she said. “We are rooted in sitting down with gay Catholics, perhaps their love for the faith and their longing to be love as Christians.” over dinner. accepted in a church that considers homo- New Ways Ministry, a Maryland- “As Christ sat with the suffering, come sexual activity an “intrinsic evil” and homo- based support group for gay and lesbian Heather Mizeur Gregory Maguire sit with us,” he said. “Chicken or fish? Red sexuality “objectively disordered.” Catholics, has tussled with Benedict before. wine or white? ...You are welcome any time, Benedict embraces the church’s tradi- In 1999, Benedict — then Cardinal Joseph But gay Catholic advocates say time is and you can take us as you find us, though a tional prohibitions against homosexuality; he Ratzinger — silenced the nun and priest who on their side. “I believe that change will hap- little advance notice would allow us to clear has called gay unions “pseudo-matrimony” ran the group for positions that were “doctri- pen.” said Gregory Maguire, a novelist whose the bikes out of the driveway and tidy up the and wrote in 2003 that same-sex adoptive par- nally unacceptable.” book “Wicked” was made into a major living room.” New Ways Ministry and Pope Benedict’s Visit to the U.S. New Ways Ministry provided several Deborah Mizeur, a national health care draw a few days before the event because of project was letter writing to the pope. Mem- public responses to Pope Benedict XVI’s policy consultant (and partner of Heather). a death in her family. Richard Rodriguez, bers of the New Ways Ministry mailing list apostolic visit to the United States, April 15- Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry noted essayist and commentator on were invited to write letters to the pope, tell- 20, 2008. The main event was a press con- Executive Director, also spoke at the press “NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,” came down ing of their own lives, their experiences in ference held on Thursday, April 11, 2008, at conference, giving a history of Benedict’s with the flu two days before the event. Catholic lesbian/gay ministry programs, their the National Press Club, Washington, DC. involvement in gay issues, while urging the We attracted reporters from the follow- families which have lesbian/gay members, Entitled “A Few Minutes with the Pope: pontiff and church leaders to listen to the ing organizations: Associated Press, Associ- and the positive witness that lesbian/gay Lesbian/Gay Catholics Speak About their voices and reality of lesbian/gay Catholic ated Press Television, NewsChannel 8, Wash- Catholics offer to the church. We collected Church,” the press conference featured sev- lives before making any more statements ington Post, Washington Blade, MetroWeekly, 50 letters and, after two days of negotiations, eral prominent lesbian/gay Catholics making on homosexuality. Current TV, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, XM we hand-delivered the letters to Monsignor presentations about what they would tell the Two unforeseen circumstances caused Radio, National Catholic Reporter, Polish John Maksymowicz, the priest-secretary of pope about their faith, their lives, and their the last-minute withdrawal of two speakers Public Radio, Cox Broadcasting, Religion the papal nuncio to the United States, at the loves, if they had the opportunity to meet with who were originally scheduled to partici- News Service, Inter Press Service, and Fox- Vatican Embassy in Washington, DC, the him. The speakers were Gregory Maguire, pate in the press conference. Teresa TV. At last count, the Associated Press story pope’s residence while in the nation’s capi- best-selling author of Wicked (the novel which DeCrescenzo, the Executive Director of appeared in close to two hundred papers tal. We had a photo taken of New Ways Min- is the basis of the Broadway musical), Mary- Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Ser- around the globe. We also received atten- istry staff presenting the letters to the secre- land State Delegate Heather Mizeur, and vices, Los Angeles, California, had to with- tion from about a dozen Catholic blogs, both tary in the main hall of the Embassy. Included progressive and conservative. in the packet were the CD of the press con- Francis DeBernardo was also able to do ference, texts of the press conference eight radio interviews in San Francisco, CA, speeches, and a letter from New Ways Min- Tucson, AZ, Columbia, SC, Nashua, NH, istry urging the pope to enter into dialogue Manitowoc, WI, Buffalo, NY, and Sarasota, with lesbian/gay Catholics. FL. Hand-delivering the letters to a member New Ways Ministry made CDs of the of the nunciature staff, we learned, guaran- press conference which we provided to indi- teed that they would be presented to the pope viduals on the New Ways Ministry mailing himself. Indeed, a few days after this deliv- list who provided donations to cover the other ery, New Ways Ministry received a personal two-thirds of the project’s budget. We will letter from Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the pa- continue to make the CDs available to others pal nuncio, that the letters would be handed who request information about the event. to the pope. A corollary prong of the papal visit --More Papal Coverage on page 5-- Gay Catholics urge Pope Benedict to enter dialogue during visit From Agency Reports and gay Catholics. Ekklesia.co.uk It featured panellists, all of whom are April 14, 2008 lesbian or gay Catholics, and included out- standing names from the worlds of literature, In advance of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit government, and health care including Gre- to the US, three prominent gay Catholics have gory Maguire, author of more than a dozen New MSJC Group Meets in St. Louis urged the pontiff to enter into a dialogue with children’s novels and several for adults, most lesbian and gay Catholics. notably Wicked, which has been adapted into In the spirit of recommendations from Always Our Children, the pastoral letter from the They addressed the pontiff through open the Tony-award winning Broadway musical U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Marriage & Family, a committee under the auspices of the statements about their lives, loves, and hopes show. Marianist Social Justice Collaborative (MSFC) is exploring possibilities for providing more for the church at a press conference at the end Speakers also included Deborah Mizeur, effective pastoral care within the Marianist Family among families of gay/lesbian Catholics. of last week. an instructor of health politics and health fi- The effort is consistent with the Church’s teaching — especially considering the principles of The event entitled ‘A Few Minutes with nancing at Georgetown University, and a Catholic Social Teaching — and is profoundly pastoral in its outreach. the Pope: Lesbian/Gay Catholics Speak About former congressional advisor on healthy The group met in St. Louis in January and has developed a two-hour program, “A Place Their Church’ was sponsored by New Ways policy to the Committee on Ways and Means at the Marianist Table,” that considers the struggles of faithful gay/lesbian Catholics and how Ministry, a 31-year-old national Catholic min- and Heather Mizeur, a recognized leader in groups can be more welcoming and inclusive. istry of justice and reconciliation for lesbian DIALOGUE continued on page 8... Page 2 BONDINGS Vol. 28, No. 2 B NDINGS Spring 2008 Vol. 28, No. 2 Francis DeBernardo, Editor Board of Directors Mary Byers Frank O’Donnell, SM Rev. Paul Thomas Cornelius Anna Elizabeth Rev. Joseph Hubbuch, CFX Koop, SL Linehan, RSM Muth Board of Advisors Cornelius Hubbuch, CFX Anna Koop, SL Elizabeth Linehan, RSM New Ways Ministry welcomes new board members Patricia McDermott, RSM Rev. Joseph Muth Three religious and one diocesan priest agreed to serve for a term of three years Barbara Regan, rc on the New Ways advisory board. Their brief biographies appear below: Staff Francis DeBernardo, Executive Director Matthew Myers, Associate Staff Cornelius Hubbuch, CFX Elizabeth Linehan, RSM Cornelius Hubbuch, CFX, served as a high school Elizabeth Linehan is a Sister of Mercy of the South Cen- Co-Founders teacher, principal, Provincial and Vicar General of the tral Community. Since 1976, Betsy has taught at Saint Sister Jeannine Gramick Xaverian Brothers. He chaired several boards of the Xaverian Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA. Father Robert Nugent Brothers Sponsored Schools and was the Director of Forma- Having chaired the Philosophy Department for fifteen tion for the schools. He was an Assistant Professor and co- years, she is currently an Associate Professor of Philosophy Bondings is a seasonal publication designed to keep director of the Institute for Spirituality and Worship at the and co-chair of the Alliance, a committee that promotes wel- our subscribers informed of issues that pertain to lesbian and gay people and the Catholic Church.