A NECESSARY ASSERTIVENESS

Christ's teachings could never be campaign against gays (Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago, 8/3/2003)

I stand here to defend Our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, against a false accusation made on the front page of the Chicago Sun-Times last Friday. The headline reads: "Pope Launches Global Campaign against Gays." The pope, of course, did no such thing....

[T]he Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that people of homosexual orientation should be treated with every respect and with compassion; but the catechism also teaches the truth about the nature of God's gift of human sexuality, a truth our bodies themselves proclaim and the lives of married couples attest to....

[W]hat does the printing of a false accusation against the pope in a major Chicago daily say about anti-Catholicism here?... I do not know their motivation. A bishop likes to presuppose good will, and what they did would find an echo in many places; but what I must say today is that a line has been crossed, and Chicago Catholics cannot ignore what has happened.

It is difficult for Christians to fulfill the gospel demand that we love sinners while charitably rebuking sins, and we may often do it imperfectly. But when these attempts at truly loving sinners are misrepresented, it is important to respond. This was an excellent sermon by Cardinal George, of the sort that is too rarely heard from the pulpit. Bravo! Posted by Paul Jaminet at August 8, 2003 6:12 PM