The Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) has written to the country’s bishops asking them to engage in a conversation about the Church’s treatment of gay Catholics .
The ACP, which represents more than 1,000 Irish clergy, has asked why the church is “so cold and uncaring” and “so afraid” to welcome gay Catholics and why a “lack of knowledge and understanding” still informs “inappropriate sermons and comments”.
ACP spokesman Fr Tim Hazelwood said: “There is a huge degree of ignorance among the clergy on this topic because it is not spoken about within the church. Society and psychology have moved on, but the church has stood still. There is no merit in ignorance.”
He appealed to the bishops to take a lead in listening to gay people’s stories and to show support, rather than saying nothing.
The parish priest of Killeagh-Inch in the Diocese of Cloyne, Co Cork, told Independent.ie: “I am nearly 40 years a priest and at no stage over those years has the diocese ever invited somebody who is gay to speak on this issue.
“There is a lack of understanding around the issue and there needs to be a conversation about a sensitive and respectful pastoral outreach to gay Catholics.”
He said the ACP’s letter came about after feedback the association received for its statement criticising the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith’s (CDF) move to rule out any blessing for same-sex couples because “you cannot bless sin”.
“People told us about the hurt and the shame they felt when the church says negative things or doesn’t speak out.”
“All gay people hear in the church is negative and that is a cause of shaming. We feel Pope Francis is trying to engage with respect and sensitivity towards gay people, but in the Irish Church we don’t seem to hear that.”
However, Fr Hazelwood said part of the problem was that some groups within the church were opposed to any softening of the church’s position on LGBT people.
“I got a huge amount of negative mail after our statement on the CDF document,” he said.
“Some very negative stuff. These groups are causing a lot of fear and I think people feel it is easier just to stay silent.”
But following the ACP’s stand on the CDF document, there was also positive feedback from Catholic parents, including a mother in her 70s who wrote to the ACP telling them “she was so happy that someone in her church had said something positive and stood up for her son”.
The ACP leader stressed that “young people growing up now know gay people from a very early age and when they hear negative stuff from the church, they won’t accept it”.
“I’m thinking of the 700 young people who renounced their baptism in the Diocese of Antwerp in protest at the CDF statement on blessing same sex unions. Young people won’t take it because you are talking about their friends.”
