In the April issue of The Wood Word, there was an article that contained a serious error. It was on page 3 and the article was “Secular Student Alliance denied approval.” In that article, the person trying to get approval for a club used the ALLY club as an example of why their club should be given approval. According to the author of the article, the person trying to initiate this club said that “ALLY was an organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and questioning students and has been recognized and funded, though it is well-known that the Catholic Church condemns homosexuality.”
There are two huge mistakes here; first of all, ALLY is not a club just for gays and lesbians etc. but for all students–gay and straight–to fight homophobia and discrimination. Secondly, and more importantly, the Catholic Church DOES NOT condemn homosexuality.
In the Pastoral Letter of the Bishops in 1998, “Always Our Children,” they said many things which I don’t have room to go into here, but three important things were:
“This child, who has always been God’s gift to you, may now be the cause of another gift: your family becoming more honest, respectful and supportive…”
“…Generally, homosexual orientation cannot be considered sinful, for morality presumes the freedom to choose…”
“…God loves every person as a unique individual. Sexual identity helps to define the unique persons we are”.
“In you God’s love is revealed”
Thank you. Just wanted to be sure everyone had their facts straight.
Sr. John Michele, IHM