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- News
- Author:
- Ani Lamont
- Posted:
- Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Acceptance’s gay Catholic youth forum will go ahead, in spite of efforts made by World Youth Day organisers to discourage the event.
The gay Catholic group’s plan to hold an event entitled “Living a Christian Commitment: Different Sexualities Among Catholic Youth” during World Youth Day were stifled after WYD organisers directed supporting group MAGiS to withdraw the forum or lose their Youth Festival status.
Acceptance co-convenor Paul Harris said the group was still disappointed by the church’s move, but pleased the event would go ahead.
“We see WYD as an opportunity for all Catholics to experience the love of God,” he told Sydney Star Observer. “We’re disappointed that our church’s hierarchy chose to exclude discussion on gays and lesbians from this monumental event, but we are determined to create a positive dialogue for young people and their families who seek to reconcile issues of sexuality and faith.”
A World Youth Day Organisation representative denied claims the decision was based on issues of homosexuality.
“The WYD08 program includes several activities and forums which explore issues of sexuality,” the spokesperson said. “WYD08 had a respectful dialogue with representatives of Acceptance, in which we made it clear that we could only promote Catholic groups that supported Catholic teaching.
“As Acceptance made it clear it could not support Catholic teaching on chastity, we understood that they knew they could not be on our program.”
Harris denies that WYD organisers ever spoke with Acceptance in relation to the forum.
“Eighteen months ago we initiated a discussion with Bishop Fischer but it had nothing to do with the forum and I certainly can’t recall ever making a statement about supporting, or not supporting chastity,” he said.
“Acceptance’s main concern is not about church doctrine, it’s about supporting people and re-connecting gay and lesbian Catholics with their faith. There are other groups on the WYD program that don’t take a stance on every church doctrine. Does the St. Vincent de Paul society have a statement, say, on contraception? Does that make them less Catholic?”
Irrespective, Acceptance has found a non-church-affiliated space to hold the event, under the new, more direct title, “Gay Catholic Youth Forum: Is there a place for gay and lesbian youth in the Church?”
info: The Gay Catholic Youth Forum will take place on Wednesday 16 July from 7pm at UTS. For more information go to
www.GayCatholicYouthForum.org.
Tags: Acceptance, forum, World Youth Day
July 3rd, 2008 @ 10:40 pm
I still can’t understand why people would want to be associated with an institution that would rather they didn’t exist…
The Catholic Church has always sought to control the populace through sexuality, so if you don’t fit the prescribed formula, you don’t exist. Go find a supernatural being or other deity that DOES accept you in your difference.
July 4th, 2008 @ 6:15 pm
Gay and lesbian youth who are interested in the Catholic or other Churches should see the informative site “Gay and Christian” (www.gaysandslaves.com). The site shows that sexually active gays and lesbians can be true Christians.
July 5th, 2008 @ 10:33 pm
Graeme, it’s not about an insitution… a true catholic wouldn’t see this as an insititution, it is a way of life… like a person is born a Jew has the genetic makeup of a Jew is not more or less than a Jew. Just as I am Catholic. I also don’t have a problem with my sexual orientation to men as a Catholic - the Pope is my steer in my life and gives us guidances. He and my Catholic Church wouldn’t dream of condemning my orientation… sure they are backward in their thinking - they are old you know - what can I expect. They will come to their own understanding and really he is just following the Cannon Law… whereas Pope John Paul was moving Catholicism into the world and was more humanitarian and more Christ-like. I’ve been honest with my family and they accept me as I am, they’ve been supportive of me. My sister is sussing out a Catholic boyfriend for me and that’s embarrassing! It’s cute. Since being honest with my mum and dad, my brothers and sisters… they all knew that I was a bit different but it’s all good. When I offically came out to my family, sure mum was upset, dad was upset but they still loved me and so did my brothers and sisters. It took a while but we stick together and support each other through these times. I’m only 17 years old.
I think the Acceptance is great in their approach to enable young people have support in their own orientation and looking at practical ways of dealing with issues. The Catholic way of life has always been a part of who I am and what I am. I’m Gay and I’m also Catholic. I can’t and wouldn’t change my orientation as God intended me to be and I have always lived as a Catholic - it’s not an insitution, its a way of life.
Thanks