Fr James Martin SJ Matthew Carlson
Listening is the most important thing parishes can do to help bridge gaps between gay people and the Church, a prominent speaker at the upcoming World Meeting of Families has said.
“The most important thing that parishes, priests and ordinary parishioners can do for LGBT people is clear: Listen to them,” Fr James Martin SJ told The Irish Catholic.
Speaking against the background of last weekend’s Pride Parade in Dublin, Fr Martin, author of Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity, said that many gay people and their friends have felt distanced from the Church because of Church teachings on homosexuality.
“The most essential Church teaching is the Gospel,” said Fr Martin, continuing, “and in the Gospels, Jesus preaches mercy, compassion and welcome to all, especially those who feel that they are on the margins.”
“But it is true that many LGBT people have felt distanced from the church because of more specific teachings on homosexuality,” he added. “And more and more young people who have LGBT friends also feel that disconnect.”
Families
Fr Martin, who will be speaking at WMOF2018 on how parishes can welcome and show respect for LGBT people and their families, said that faced with such a disconnect, the Church urgently needs to ensure that “God loves you” is the first message the Church shares with LGBT people, their families and friends.
“We also need to remind LGBT people that, as baptised Catholics, they are as much a part of the Church as the Pope, their local bishop or their parish priest,” he added.
Echoing Fr Martin’s call, Ballyfermot-based Fr Joe McDonald, author of Why the Irish Church Deserves to Die, said part of the problem has been that Church language has been perceived as harsh and judgemental.
“We tend to be seen as a finger-pointing and tut-tutting Church as opposed to being bearers of joy never mind freedom,” he said. Acknowledging that the modern Irish Church has “to a large degree, stopped hectoring or haranguing people”, he said “latent homophobia dressed up as religion” remains a problem and one that is rarely admitted.