Homosexual activists staged a demonstration, calling it a "Vigil for Solidarity with LGBT Catholics" this Sunday against the man who will be the next archbishop of the St. Paul-Minneapolis Catholic archdiocese for his defence of Catholic teaching on sexuality.Sunday's vigil attracted, according to organisers, approximately 325 people at the Cathedral of St. Paul on Sunday, December 2. Slogans on the signs carried by protesters read "The Body of Christ Has Gay Genes Too!" and "Vatican Homophobia is 'Intrinsically Disordered'".
They demanded that the Catholic Church abandon its dedication to what it believes to be objective truth revealed by God and start to formulate doctrine according to the "consensus" of the laity and the "lived experience" of homosexuals.
John C. Nienstedt, coadjutor Archbishop, has been the target of the ire of the archdiocese's homosexual activists since he arrived in his new position. The demonstration was the result of his comments defending normal Catholic teaching on sexual purity in the November 15 edition of the Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the archdiocese.
He reiterated the stand of the US bishops in banning those who oppose Catholic teaching from speaking venues in Catholic institutions. He wrote that the appearance of lesbian activist Carol Curoe at St. Francis Cabrini in Minneapolis should not have occurred. Such appearances in Catholic parishes "cause scandal, leading Catholics to be confused about what is right and wrong according to the teachings of the church, prompting them to endorse or even to commit immoral behavior."
Curoe appeared, together with her father, on October 21 at a meeting of PFLAG, an organisation of parents of homosexuals who oppose Catholic teaching and encourage their children in their behaviour.
The Archbishop praised the work of groups such as Faith in Action, Courage and Encourage that help persons with homosexual inclinations live chastely according to Catholic teaching. Archbishop Nienstedt was appointed as coadjutor April 24, 2007 and has the right of succession when the current holder of the office, Archbishop Harry J. Flynn, steps down, possibly as early as May 2008.
Michael J. Bayly, the head of the quasi-official Catholic Pastoral Committee
on Sexual Minorities of St. Paul Minneapolis, said that the protesters objected to the Church's manner of "authoritative teaching" that does not "include participation of the laity".
The group wants the Catholic Church to depart from Catholicism and "to consult gay Catholics or their families" when formulating doctrine. Such political terminology and demands have been the textbook cant of the radical left wing of anti-Catholic protesters since the 1960's.
The group goes on to say, "We disagree with the church's [sic] teaching on homosexuality, as it does not reflect the lived experiences of many Catholics, or the consensus of the scientific community. Accordingly such teaching is inadequate and lacks credibility."
Homosexual activists, along with abortion supporters and radical feminist agitators in Catholic circles have long adopted a secularized, political "model of church" in which there is no authoritative teaching or moral absolutes on any subject, particularly those about human sexuality, and all legitimacy comes from a "consensus" of the people.
Bayly, a key organiser of the protest and the author of the book, "Creating Safe Environments for LGBT Students: A Catholic Schools Perspective" reflected this de-sacralised notion when he wrote on his weblog, "With regards to the issue of homosexuality, the 'body of the faithful' is still very much engaged in the journey towards 'consensus'. And in other areas relating to human sexuality, the consensus that has been reached is at odds with the teaching of the hierarchical church [sic]."
But Nienstedt's teaching in the Catholic Spirit came from the ancient Catholic concept of truth as objective, universally binding and not subject to change by committee. He wrote that the Church's teaching on homosexuality is "derived...from an understanding of the natural moral law."
Writing for the Catholic paper, the Remnant, Michael J. Matt asks, "isn't it a bit over the top to pretend that the Archbishop's defence of Church teaching is some sort of laughably novel aberration?"
"Does our crime-ridden, pill-popping, warmongering, substance-abusing, sex-addicted society really know better?"
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