You'll be happy to know that elements of the Catholic hierarchy agree with your analysis
As Cardinal Edward Egan headed to the Vatican for a summit on sexual abuse, his stand-in at St. Patrick's Cathedral gave a homily blaming the scandal on homosexuality and an "immoral country."
Monsignor Eugene Clark, an outspoken clergyman of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, called homosexuality a "disorder" and said gay men should not be allowed to become priests, the Daily News reported in Monday's editions.
"The tendency to homosexuality is a disorder, not a sin," Clark said in his 15-minute sermon Sunday. "But the practice of homosexuality is truly sinful."
Clark also said the United States is "probably the most immoral country certainly in the Western Hemisphere" and blamed American society for being "very protective" of homosexuality. story.news.yahoo.com
There was some mixed backpedaling later today, though: story.news.yahoo.com
Catholic League President William Donohue said he would be surprised if Egan disagreed with Clark's statements, which he called long overdue.
"This MTV world of sexual titillation has everything to do with the corruption, whether that's in the church or out of the church," Donohue said.
Clark's Sunday sermon echoed, in part, the Vatican (news - web sites)'s first public statement about the scandal. The pope's chief spokesman told The New York Times last month that the church needed to prevent gays from becoming priests.
Marianne Duddy, executive director of the gay Catholic advocacy group Dignity/USA, called Clark's homily "very irresponsible."
"I think that most Catholics see this for what it is — an attempt to deflect attention away from the horrible mishandling of the situation by church officials and the decades of coverup that have been engaged in," she said.
Personally, I think Ms. Duddy's point is pertinent. |
