Catholic
leaders here have discontinued a Mass that had been offered quietly for
more than 15 years to the gay and lesbian community at a near downtown
parish.
The weekly Mass at
St. Ann Catholic Church was the subject of periodic complaints to the
archdiocese.
But until last Sunday, the local hierarchy had declined to
shut it down.
A handful of local priests sympathetic to the gay and
lesbian community had conducted the Mass.
Auxiliary
Bishop Oscar Cantú, the interim head of the archdiocese, told church
officials the Mass conflicted with Catholic teaching because it was
offered for the gay Catholic advocacy group, Dignity San Antonio.
Part
of the national organization, DignityUSA, it seeks the acceptance of
alternative lifestyles in the Catholic Church.
"The Mass …
continues to send conflicting messages about the Church's official
teaching concerning the proper celebration of the Eucharist and living
an active homosexual lifestyle," Cantú wrote in an Oct. 13 letter to the
St. Ann pastor, Father John Restrepo.
Condemns prejudice
While Cantú set the
termination date for five days later, he also condemned any prejudice or
hate against gay people and urged worshippers to attend Masses as part
of the broader Catholic community.
Cantú was out of the
country Friday and unavailable for comment, an archdiocesan spokesman
said. Restrepo did not return phone calls Friday.
Last Sunday was the final Mass for Dignity.
"Our faith
teaches us that the Church is a community of people, not a building,"
said local Dignity President Fred Anthony Garza. "So we will continue to
meet in a more welcoming environment."
The Mass has been a delicate issue in the diocese for at least a couple of decades.
Advocates
for conservative reforms prodded past archbishops José Gomez and
Patrick Flores to crack down on the Mass, contending that doing nothing
was a sign of giving into secular culture.
'Personal … unexpected'
Advocates for the
Mass concede that alternative lifestyles conflict with Catholic
teachings, but argue that the Mass was an act of compassion for a
Catholic community wanting to worship free of prejudice.
"We
need to provide good preaching and good teaching to this community,"
said Father Eddie Bernal, one of several local priests to conduct the
Mass. "I have met some of the most wonderful people in my life in
Dignity. They've changed my life for the better. And I've learned so
much."
Dignity officials said they will pursue an appeal with the incoming
archbishop, Chicago Bishop Gustavo García-Siller, when he takes over
duties in San Antonio next month.
"The
decision was highly personal and unexpected," said Dignity's Garza. "It
meant hurt. It means rejection. It means one more thing is compromised
in our lives."
SIC: CHRON/USA