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Published: February 16, 2010
“No one should be misled”
‘Gay-positive’ group’s claim to be Catholic confuses the faithful, says Cardinal George
Press release from U.S. Catholic Conference
February 12, 2010
WASHINGTON -- Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I, archbishop of Chicago and president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued the following statement on the status of the organization New Ways Ministry:
 New Ways Ministry is an organization based in Mount Rainier, Maryland, that describes itself as "a gay-positive ministry of advocacy and justice for lesbian and gay Catholics and reconciliation within the larger Christian and civil communities." From the time of the organization's founding in 1977, serious questions have been raised about the group’s adherence to Church teaching on homosexuality. In 1984, the archbishop of Washington denied New Ways Ministry any official authorization or approval of its activities. At that time, he forbade the two co-founders of New Ways Ministry, Sr. Jeannine Gramick, SSND, and Fr. Robert Nugent, to continue their activities in the Archdiocese of Washington. In the same year, Sr. Gramick and Fr. Nugent were ordered by their superiors to separate themselves from New Ways Ministry. Although they resigned from leadership posts, they continued their involvement in New Ways Ministry activities until 1999, when the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith declared that because of errors and ambiguities in the approach of Sr. Gramick and Fr. Nugent they are permanently prohibited from any pastoral work involving homosexual persons.
In reference to his decision not to grant any approval or authorization to New Ways Ministry in the 1980s, Archbishop James Hickey of Washington cited the organization's lack of adherence to Church teaching on the morality of homosexual acts. This was the central issue in ?the subsequent investigation and censure of the founders of New Ways Ministry, Sr. Jeannine Gramick and Fr. Robert Nugent. This continues to be the crucial defect in the approach of New Ways Ministry, which has not changed its position after the departure of the cofounders.
 New Ways Ministry has recently criticized efforts by the Church to defend the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman and has urged Catholics to support electoral initiatives to establish same-sex "marriage." No one should be misled by the claim that New Ways Ministry provides an authentic interpretation of Catholic teaching and an authentic Catholic pastoral practice. Their claim to be Catholic only confuses the faithful regarding the authentic teaching and ministry of the Church with respect to persons with a homosexual inclination. Accordingly, I wish to make it clear that, like other groups that claim to be Catholic but deny central aspects of Church teaching, New Ways Ministry has no approval or recognition from the Catholic Church and that they cannot speak on behalf of the Catholic faithful in the United States.
Posted Tuesday, February 16, 2010 3:59 AM By Aaron
Probably the Catholic church will never change its position regarding homosexual acts because it is based on Biblical passages. Gays should probably stop fighting church policies and join the Anglican/Episcopal church, as we did. That said, I hope Catholics will join with the gay community to overturn Federal government policies clearly created to penalize the gay community (e.g., forbidding gays from sponsoring their foreign partners for a green card, IRS recognition of legal domestic partnerships).
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Posted Tuesday, February 16, 2010 8:02 AM By Elaine
Many thanks to Cardinal George for clarifying this issue. And perhaps a message to the Holy Father to make it clear that certain groups within the church--such as Call To Action--although they call themselves Catholic, are not. Maybe the Episcopal church needs to make their signs that say "The Episcopal Church welcomes YOU" a bit bigger! Better to lose them altogether than to confuse and mislead the Catholics trying to be faithful.
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Posted Tuesday, February 16, 2010 10:41 AM By Bud
I can only say that anyone who has lost their faith regarding the authenticity of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox faiths should probaly just join the Universalists which has certainly influenced a great portion of the mainline Protestant Churches. It's a simple as that! Until gays can accept that Matrimony (Marriage) is only a man and woman complementing each other and have the potential of forming the nucleus of a natural and stable family, marriage is not open or recognized for them period. Redefining what marriage is and has always been in spite of it's current problems is an illusion. Domestic partnership is just another secular modern innovation.
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Posted Tuesday, February 16, 2010 2:07 PM By Mark from PA
Aaron, you said that you joined the Episcopal Church. Do they have this church in Spain? Are you children still Catholic?
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Posted Tuesday, February 16, 2010 3:50 PM By Laurette Elsberry
New Ways Ministry is an insidious and destructive organization. I observed a Gramick and Nugent "Roadshow", as I termed it, some year ago. What a duo! Their obvious goal was to affirm the "gay" lifestyle. Unfortunately, at the seminar at which they spoke, there were nuns, priests and parish workers in attendance and doting on every word of the pro-sodomite speakers. I truly hope there is going to be some punative action proposed for those bishops and priests who allow New Ways to make presentations in Catholic facilities. This policy should also apply to bishops who allow the Catholic Association of Gay and Lesbian Ministries (CALGM), a group supportive of New Ways, to meet in Catholic facilities. CALGM has continuous efforts to convince Catholics that they must support and affirm "gays" in the Church. Notice I use the word "gay". Not all homosexuals are "gay". Those who are "gay" are those pro-homosexual individuals who promote and defend the lifestyle revolving around the abomination of sodomy. Both of these organization are part of a whole diabolical movement that seeks "the destruction of souls". They are very good at their efforts.
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Posted Tuesday, February 16, 2010 5:52 PM By JLS
Aaron, homosexual acts are not based on Biblical passages. Why do you make such confused statements all the time?
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Posted Tuesday, February 16, 2010 6:48 PM By Anne T.
Aaron, according to the National Catholic Register and other articles online and in newspapers, the homosexual and lesbian community in California outspent Pro Prop 9 people by $3.4 million. I don't think the homosexual and lesbian communities are anywhere close to the poverty level. I think they have plenty of money already.
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Posted Tuesday, February 16, 2010 7:08 PM By Anne T.
A correction to my last post. I meant they outspent pro-Prop 8 people.
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Posted Tuesday, February 16, 2010 10:51 PM By Abeca Christian
This group is not connected to the Pope, so it is not Catholic.
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Posted Wednesday, February 17, 2010 1:53 PM By Aaron
Mark: We didn't yet actually join, but we attend the Anglican church. The local congregation is evangelical, so the services are very very different than the Catholic Mass.
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Posted Wednesday, February 17, 2010 2:04 PM By Aaron
Mark: Both of my children left the church, primarily because of the hateful treatment parish members gave me after I openly told people I am gay. They made their own decision on this matter. They both left the church shortly after leading a successful $600,000 fund raising effort for church repairs, but was then told I could not hold any leadership positions in the congregation because I am gay and in a relationship with Tomas.
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Posted Wednesday, February 17, 2010 2:08 PM By JLS
The Anglicans are moving rapidly towards wiccanism, which as Aaron says is a long stretch from Catholicism.
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Posted Wednesday, February 17, 2010 3:46 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
Aaron, how would "They both left the church shortly after leading a successful $600,000 fund raising effort for church repairs" compare with 30 pieces of silver? Are you insinuating that the Church founded by Christ is supposed to change its dogma for a mere $600,000.00?
May God have mercy on your compromised soul.
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
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Posted Thursday, February 18, 2010 12:13 AM By Aaron
It is always very confusing to read responses to CA Catholic posts: JLS says"homosexual acts are not based on the Bible? Oh my-then I guess the Bible doesn't mention men lying with men or women with women? Anne T responds to me and begins talking about Prop 8 which I never mentioned. and gay poverty???completely off topic. My oh my. Not exactly a common thread here.
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Posted Thursday, February 18, 2010 4:33 AM By Mark from PA
Aaron, that is very sad that you and your children were driven out by the hateful treatment of some. Kenneth, it isn't about the money here, it is about being treated like a human being. It isn't right when people devote their time, talent and treasure to their parish and then are treated like outcasts. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone and hatred is a sin too.
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Posted Thursday, February 18, 2010 8:24 AM By BA
Aaron: Deut. 4:26ff; 7:12-16; 11:26ff: 30:15-20, are all about following God's commandments . . . blessings for those who chose life and curses for those who chose death . . . a life of depravity. So, all this argument about Gay rights falls of deaf ears. And yes, the bible does speak of homosexuality, but always to condemn rather than to condone.
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Posted Thursday, February 18, 2010 9:15 AM By Tony de New York
Aaron i am sorry that some 'catholic' miss treat you and your family.
We catholics have to be clear in the doctrinal teaching but very compationate in the pastoral way of dealing with people.
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Posted Thursday, February 18, 2010 2:10 PM By Abeca Christian
Tony de New York what evidence do you have that shows that Aaron was mistreated by Catholics? What he believes to be mistreatment might not be mistreatment. How can you judge that for what you don't know personally. It sounds to me that Aaron might sometimes bring out the moral convictions in the faithful that he misinterprets as mistreatment when in reality it may not be so. So your apology to him may not serve him well.
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Posted Friday, February 19, 2010 6:33 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
Abeca Christian,
RIGHT ON!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
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Posted Friday, February 19, 2010 7:52 PM By JLS
Aaron, the Bible forbids homosexual acts. Such evil is not based on Scripture, but condemned by God and recorded in Scripture.
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Posted Friday, February 19, 2010 9:22 PM By RR
Aaron: You will have a lot to answer for. Not only did you leave the TRUE CHURCH for a gay lover, but your children followed you in leaving. Plain and simple, you were bringing scandal to the Church by being in a mortally sinful gay relationship. Nobody forced you out You left of your own free will. What did you expect? Did you expect the Church to accept your mortally sinful lifestyle for $600,000? It was and is scandalous and no amount of money makes it right.
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Posted Friday, February 19, 2010 9:40 PM By RR
Mark from PA: It is totally scandalous what Aaron was trying to get the Church to accept. The Church can't have this scandal. It was not hateful for the Church to not allow Aaron to flaunt his sinfully, ACTIVE homosexuality in front of the whole Church. Hatred of sin is NOT a sin. If the Church accepted Aaron and his mortally sinful lifestyle, then why have Church teachings? All of us can live scandalous lifestyles as long as we use our talents, time, and we treasure our parish? I don't think so, Mark from PA. HMMMM, maybe I'll commit adultry against my husband and bring my lover to church and we will be involved with all Church activities, fund raisers, bingo, chili supppers, donate to the poor, join the choir, pass around the collection plate... and we will let everyone know that we can commit adultry because we are involved in all of these things. I don't think so!
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Posted Saturday, February 20, 2010 7:00 AM By Mark from PA
RR, we are not talking about someone committing adultery here. Aaron was a widower. I have actually listened to what he has had to say here and I don't think he is living a scandalous lifestyle and probably most of the people that actually know him probably don't think so either. His relationship with Tomas isn't all about sex. Aaron has explained this many times.
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Posted Saturday, February 20, 2010 7:51 AM By JLS
Pretty good explanations, RR!!! The part about Aaron influencing his children to leave the Church is really a serious sin on Aaron. But sodomy is the consequence of sin, and it snowballs, with more sin producing more sin, over and over and over, all the way down to the bottom of eternity.
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Posted Saturday, February 20, 2010 7:54 AM By Grisha
RR: If your husband could not, because of an unusual work schedule for instance, attend the same mass as you, participate in parish activities and you tended to sit with a gentleman at masses and served on the same committees as he did, would it be the Christian thing for me to assume you were committing adultery?
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Posted Saturday, February 20, 2010 8:39 AM By Anne T.
RR your post of Feb. 19 at 8:40 is an excellent one. That is exactly the type of behavior Aaron and PA have been advocating, and in front of the children.
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Posted Saturday, February 20, 2010 8:53 AM By Mark from PA
JLS, Aaron did not say that he influenced his children to leave the church. He said, "Both of my children left the church, primarily because of the hateful treatment parish members gave me." From what I gather, we are talking about Aaron's adult children. They did not feel welcome in their parish so they left.
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Posted Saturday, February 20, 2010 9:00 AM By Mark from PA
Anne T, what I am advocating is treating people with respect.
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Posted Saturday, February 20, 2010 10:13 AM By Michel
Plain and simple, homosexual acts are a mortal sin. End of story. No amount of "Sister" Grammicks or their ilk can make a sin into something holy. It would be much better that she directed these poor souls to Courage or something that would really help them. We all have sins to overcome. To call others to sin or encourage them to sin is to invite them to spend eternity in hell. I care too much for those who have fallen into the sin of homosexuality (and yes, it is a choice not something created by God) to give up on them. I pray that they can forsake this most abdominable of sins.
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Posted Saturday, February 20, 2010 11:12 AM By JLS
PA, respect is first owed to God and then to neighbor.
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Posted Saturday, February 20, 2010 11:13 AM By JLS
PA, Aaron influenced his children to leave the Church, because of his sinful homosexual demands, pitting the allegiance of his kids between himself and the Church; I'd call it spiritual child abuse.
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Posted Saturday, February 20, 2010 11:14 AM By JLS
Grisha, I hate to blow your mind, but several Scriptures caution against hanging out with the wives of other men.
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Posted Saturday, February 20, 2010 3:52 PM By Anne T.
PA, what you and Grisha advocate has nothing to do with respect but advocacy of improper behavior. And Grisha neither I, nor do I think RR, assume the worse when we see two men or two women together, not even if they hug each other, or necessarily a man and woman sitting together. They could be family members for all we know, but Aaron or his family probably let someone in his church know about Aaron's feelings and past intimate relationship with the man in Spain, and that he wanted to continue that relationship. That is probably what set off their dislike for him. Sooner of later when people are sinning seriously, it comes out one way or another.
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Posted Saturday, February 20, 2010 10:17 PM By Anne T.
Aaron, the reason I mentioned a lack of homosexual poverty is because you keep whining about getting benefits for you and the man in Spain to which you are not entitled by any decent laws.
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Posted Sunday, February 21, 2010 4:16 AM By RR
Mark from PA: I don't care wether he was a widower or he was single. Being in a sexually ACTIVE homosexual relationship is a mortal sin and against Church teaching. I have listened to what he has to say here too and he IS living in a scandalous ACTIVE homosexual relationship. What part of that is not scandalous and not against Church teaching? And don't say because they care and love each other because it's self-gratification what they are doing. They don't love each other. They USE each other to fulfill their perverted, sexual desires. That is not love. You say, " I don't think he is living a scandalous lifestyle and probably most of the people that actually know him probably don't think so either." Well, most of the people yelled "crucify Him, crucify Him." Was the majority of people right? The majority is not always right. What the majority thinks means NOTHING when Christ says no. You're right. Aaron did not tell his children to leave, but what did you and Aaron think his children would do? He has convinced and taught his children that it's o.k. to live in an ACTIVE homosexual relationship. If these children, adult or children, were given proper example by their father and taught Church teaching instead of self-gratification, then maybe his children's faith would have still been their. He will answer for it someday. It's not that they didn't feel welcome in their parish. It's because their father and they themselves didn't want to accept Church teaching and God's will, plain and simple.
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Posted Sunday, February 21, 2010 4:27 AM By RR
Grisha: Of course that would be wrong, but that is NOT the case here. Aaron said, " because of the hateful treatment parish members gave me after I openly told people I am gay." He made it known himself. He flaunted his mortally sinful, ACTIVE homosexuality in front of the Church, the parish, Church teaching, and God. How dare he think just because he was active in the parish that it was perfectly fine and acceptable to live a mortally sinful lifestyle ACTIVE homosexual lifestyle? Before you can say, how do you know he is sexually ACTIVE. I know this because he has thumbed his nose at every faithful Catholic on here and has told all of us that he is. Stop accepting and condoning him in his acts of sodomy. You will answer for it someday.
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Posted Monday, February 22, 2010 3:10 PM By Mark from PA
RR, you say, "They don't love each other." You don't even know Aaron personally. How can you say that he is not capable of loving someone? How do you know that Aaron doesn't accept God's will? I feel sorry for you that you would say such things.
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Posted Monday, February 22, 2010 4:03 PM By JLS
PA, men who love each other do not commit sex with each other. PA, why are you implying that God's will is for men to commit acts of sodomy? Do you have any idea what you are saying? PA, why is it that one week your posts indicate a resignation to the Word of God and an advance towards holiness, and then the next week you come up with some asinine advocacy about the glory of homosexual partnerhood? Do you have a ghost writer?
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Posted Monday, February 22, 2010 4:24 PM By RR
Mark from PA: No, they don't love each other. They are in LUST with each other. If you truly love someone you also care about their soul. If they loved each other so much then they would not use each other sexually since it is a mortal sin to have homosexual sex. What part of that Catholic teaching and concept do you always fail to comprehend? Also, I never said he wasn't capable of loving someone. What I did say is that the relationship Aaron and Tomas has is not a loving relationship but a perverse sexual relationship. Also, I know Aaron doesn't accept Gods will because he refuses to accept Church laws and teachings. Pretty obvious, Mark from PA. I feel sorry for you because you refuse to accept Church teachings and laws on ACTIVE homosexuality and the mortal sin of sodomy. You are turning blind eye to the truth about ACTIVE homosexuality. I will repeat and hopefully you will comprehend that it IS MORTALLY SINFUL AND AGAINST CHURCH TEACHING TO PROMOTE, CONDONE, ACCEPT, AND LIVE AN ACTIVELY, GAY, HOMOSEXUAL LIFESTYLE! It's NOT a loving relationship. It's preverse, evil, deviant, and sinful.
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Posted Monday, February 22, 2010 5:03 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
JLS,
Thanks for asking PA the same question I was thinking of asking him.
God bless, yours in Their Hearts, Kenneth M. Fisher
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Posted Monday, February 22, 2010 6:18 PM By Mark from PA
JLS, I am saying that a person should not tell a person that they have never met that they don't love someone. I don't think one person can speak for the feelings of another person. I do not like to see people being de-humanized in this way here.
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Posted Monday, February 22, 2010 7:29 PM By JLS
PA, now you reveal your definition of "love", which is feelings. Well in that sense sado-masochistic love is as good as anything else, right? Don't you know that Jesus is love, that this type of love is called in Scriptural langauge "agape", and that carnal love ie feelings is called eros, or in modern English "erotic love"? All this time I thought you knew this stuff. No wonder you're confused.
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Posted Monday, February 22, 2010 7:34 PM By JLS
PA, you've got "dehumanized" bass ackwards. To persuade a person to elevate himself or herself to the divine love known as "agape" which is God, from the sensate love aka feelings aka eros aka erotic or sensual love is to humanize a person, to bring them up from the beastly level which they've fallen to. Beasts themselves are very good, but a human behaving like a beast is a terribly dehumanized person. You would leave them on their dung heap, and the Church would rescue them, clean them up, give them a new pure garment and invite them into the feast with Jesus. But you want to simply mob the feast, break in with impure garments and revel in whoredom before our Lord. And there you would tell Him, as you've practiced on this website, that you are humanizing the homos.
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Posted Wednesday, March 03, 2010 8:04 AM By Ski Ven
Yep, you sure told him, JLS.
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