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| New Baltimore Archbishop Edwin O’Brien told a newspaper in 2005 that ‘anyone who has engaged in homosexual activity, or who has strong homosexual inclinations, would be best not to apply to a seminary and not to be accepted into a seminary.’ (Photo by Steve Ruark/AP) |
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HOME > NEWS > NATIONAL NEWS
By: JOSHUA LYNSEN COMMENTS
 
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group, founded by O’Brien and others in 1978, now has 110 chapters worldwide.
“I think that Courage, in the way it was originally conceived, could be a helpful ministry for people who want to remain celibate,” DiBernardo said. “There are some people who choose that as their lifestyle.”
But he said the group has moved away from its founding principles and now regards same-sex attractions as a “psychological defect” and “a problem to be overcome.”
The organization’s web site says it fosters fellowship among gay Catholics so that “no one will have to face the problems of homosexuality alone.”
DiBernardo and Seneco said Courage does not practice conversion therapy, or treatment that purports to make gays straight, but some chapters have recommended such therapy to its gay members.
“Courage doesn’t try to convert you,” Seneco said, “but it does try to relegate gay Catholics to second-class status.”
DiBernardo said such an approach is antithetical to church teachings.
“One is not in sin if one finds one’s self to be homosexual,” he said. “The Catholic Church still teaches that, although bishops like Archbishop O’Brien don’t seem to understand that very well.”
Potential for change?
DiBernardo said O’Brien, who was a military chaplain in Vietnam and led the U.S. military archdiocese for 10 years, might change his views after spending time in Baltimore.
“I think that having been involved in the military for so long has probably given him only one perspective on homosexuality that hasn’t been very positive,” he said. “That’s why I think being in Baltimore, where there has been a lot of good ministry with gay and lesbian people, that there’s a possibility for him to open up his mind.”
DiBernardo said O’Brien might learn from the Baltimore parishes that have welcomed gays and talked openly with them about their lives and experiences.
“This is a real instance of the bishop stands a lot more to learn from the grassroots in Baltimore than the other way around,” he said. “So if the Holy Spirit is showing any wisdom in this decision, it’s that the decision is to help educate Archbishop O’Brien.”
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