Church apologizes to LGBTQ but ignores real need

There is a difference between apology and acceptance. In order to understand the difference between what requires an apology and what necessitates acceptance, we must distinguish between the two matters. An apology is a recognition, coupled with regret and sorrow, of an offense or a failure which caused hurt to someone. Acceptance is consenting or agreeing with something or someone. The Church has a responsibility to rightly divide the two for the edification of the faithful.

A Kentucky Catholic Church recently appears to have confused the two concepts. St. Paul Catholic Church in Lexington, Kentucky, held a “Service of Atonement and Apology to the LGBTQ+ Community” on the last day of June, the final night of Pride Month. The Church posted a rainbow-colored banner outside the parish which read, “LGBTQ+ Catholics, Family, Friends, and Allies. All are Welcome”. Inside the church, another sign read, “Diversity is our strength”. Those attending were greeted with a table filled with “Pride Prayer 2022” cards, rainbow heart buttons, and “Love is Love” programs. The church crossed the line from apologizing to promoting acceptance. In fact, I would argue they moved from acceptance to endorsement. Are they correct? Absolutely not.

The service was held by the church’s LGBTQ+ ministry director, who penned a letter titled “Apologies and Reconciliation” and stated “the words the Church uses to describe me still sting, but I believe we are witnessing the evolution of doctrine, so I have hope. I know many LGBTQ+ persons – far too many – have been hurt by the Church and many have left. So have their families and friends. LGBTQ+ persons left with good reason: to survive. Apologies aren’t coveralls for the past wounds, but they are a beginning.”

The director said the gathering was to celebrate “our unique diversity” and to “seek reconciliation” for the words and actions of the Church toward individuals of the LGBTQ+ community and their families. The problem, however, is the LGBTQ+ ministry of the church appears to be promoting a change in doctrine. The change in doctrine would be to promote and accept something which contradicts Sacred Scripture. The doctrine referenced by the director in his letter is the Church’s teaching on the Catechism regarding homosexuality.

“Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that ‘homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.’ They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complentarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.” (CCC 2357 emphasis mine)

To promote something against Sacred Scripture and that which is condemned as “intrinsically disordered” and “acts of grave depravity” is acceptance. It is not apology. If there are acts or words against the value and dignity of an individual, it is those things which must receive an apology. Words uttered from a foundation of hate and arrogance are those which need apologies. Actions rooted in anger and bigotry are those which deserve apologies. However, to call a sin “intrinsically disordered” and acts of “depravity” is, indeed, truth and truth should never be partnered with apology.

“Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin.” (Leviticus 18:22)

If the Church wants to issue apologies, it can start with apologizing for the hatred and anger spewed against African Americans by the Church. The mistreatment and endorsement of slavery, utilization of slavery, and prohibition of African Americans such as Fr. Augustus Tolton into seminaries requires an apology. A person’s skin color is not a sin. It’s not a choice. A person’s actions are sin and thus actions which are against the commands of God are never to be accepted and do not deserve an apology.

Pope John Paul II issued an apology to African Americans for the involvement of white Christians, including Catholics, in the slave trade.

The Jesuits sold off their slaves to save their institution at Georgetown, declared blacks and slaves "non-Christians," morally sanctioned the slave trade, Indiana priest Fr. Ted Rothrock issued statements in 2020 calling Black Lives Matter “maggots and parasites”, Michigan priest Fr. Paul Graney compared Black Lives Matter protesters to terrorists, Archbishop Jose’ Gomez called Black Lives Matter a “political religion”.

Racism is a crime of heresy. It is a crime against individuals. It is a crime against humanity. It’s a crime against God. If one wants to love, advocate for love, and accept love then one needs to love others who look different. If one wants to show real love, reach out a hand to someone whose hand is darker or lighter than yours. Racism goes both ways. Caucasians judge African Americans as thugs, gang members, drug dealers, and criminals. Blacks condemn whites as arrogant, prideful, racist, and entitled. Whites view Hispanics as illegal, unwanted, lawbreakers, and drug traffickers. Hispanics label Whites as judgmental and ungrateful.

At some point in life, racism flows from every individual. If you do not believe you’re racist, take a drive as a white American through the city’s “south side”, park your car, and walk down the street. Stroll through the Country Club with your dog on a morning walk and ask yourself what your first thought is when you see a young teenage black boy with a hoodie running down the street. It is only then you will realize how racist you are in the depths of your being. It is at that moment your eyes will be open to see how programmed you are by your environment into your views of someone of another race. Sit across from the lunch table with someone of a different color and ask them about their experiences. Seek to understand.

The treatment of God-fearing, Christ-loving individuals like Fr. Tolton by the Church are things which require an apology. The statements and beliefs by Church leaders toward those of different ethnicities, even in 2020, demand an apology service. It is those actions and words for which the Church should be holding apology services and speaking about recognizing the dignity of individuals. This is the reality which is screaming for an apology.

To urge an individual to repentance of sin, condemn sin, and teach truth from Sacred Scripture is nothing for which one should ever feel the need to issue an apology. It is for the actions, words, and feelings because of a person’s skin color given to them by God which requires an apology. If the Church wants to truly heal wounds and change lives, an apology with not just words but actions toward victims of racism is essential and a backbone against sin must be the core. The bleeding wounds of racism is what must be apologized for and not condemnation of sin.