Mar 07, 2008  |  By: LOU CHIBBARO J  | COMMENTS     

The gay Catholic groups Dignity USA and New Ways Ministry are planning to send a respectful but forceful message affirming the presence of gay people in the Catholic Church during Pope Benedict XVI’s April 14-18 visit to Washington.

New Ways Ministry, which has advocated for reconciliation between gay Catholics and the church hierarchy for the past 31 years, announced plans for four prominent gay and lesbian Catholics to deliver statements to the Pope about their “lives, loves and hopes for the church” at an April 10 news conference at the National Press Club.

Among those addressing the Pope at the news conference will be Heather Mizeur, the openly gay member of the Maryland House of Delegates, whom New Ways Ministries says is a practicing Catholic.

“The status of lesbian/gay people in Catholicism is one of the most controversial topics in the church today,” said Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministries’ executive director. “Since Pope Benedict has not offered an opportunity for lesbian/gay Catholics to share their views, we will meet with him through the airwaves, the newspapers and the Internet.”

The Pope is scheduled to arrive in Washington on April 15 on the first leg of a five-day visit to the U.S. He is scheduled to meet with President Bush at the White House on April 16 and celebrate Mass for more than 40,000 Catholics the following day at the Washington Nationals’ new baseball stadium before meeting Catholic educators later that day at Catholic University.

According to an itinerary released by the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, Benedict will depart for New York on April 18, where he will address the United Nations General Assembly and visit Ground Zero. He is scheduled to celebrate Mass for thousands of New Yorkers at Yankee Stadium on April 20 before departing for the Vatican.

Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of Dignity USA, whose local chapters organize weekly Sunday Masses for gay Catholics, said representatives of her group plan to greet the Pope with signs along his motorcade route in Washington.

“We will present a positive message in a respectful way to counter the hurtful things he has been saying about GLBT people for so many years,” Duddy-Burke said.

“The policy we have for the Dignity events is to keep them peaceful, prayerful and positive,” she said. “We want to let people know we have great joy in our lives, that we are productive citizens and that we have faith in our lives.”

Church observers note that Benedict has been among the leading conservative theologians arguing against homosexuality dating back to his years as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, when he served as the Vatican’s chief enforcer of Catholic orthodoxy. Since becoming Pope, he has spoken out against a proposed law in Italy calling for domestic partner benefits for same-sex couples.

Bob Miailovich, a member of the board of Dignity-Washington, which is working with Duddy-Burke to organize Dignity demonstrations along the Papal motorcade route, said organizers will soon announce the locations of the sign-holding events and the dates they will take place.

“Our objective is to inform him that we’re gay and we’re Catholic and we want you to see us,” Miailovich said. “We’re glad that you’re here but we’re there too,” he said, in describing the group’s intended message to the Pope.

In addition to Heather Mizeur, the other gay Catholics scheduled to speak at the New Ways Ministries press conference on April 10 are Teresa DeCrescenzo, executive director of Gay-Lesbian Adolescent Social Services (GLASS) of Los Angeles and professor at the University of California at Northridge; Gregory Maguire, author of children’s and adult novels, including the novel “Wicked,” which has been adopted into a Tony award-winning show on Broadway; and Richard Rodriquez, author and social and cultural commentator and regular contributor to PBS’ “News Hour with Jim Lehrer.”

DeBernardo said New Ways Ministries is inviting its constituents and supporters to write their own letters to the Pope, which the group will hand-deliver to the Vatican Embassy in Washington on April 10.

He said the group invites people to send these letters to its offices by postal mail or e-mail by April 5, so organizers can assemble the letters and arrange for their delivery to the Vatican Embassy.

New Ways Ministry is located at 4012 29th Street, Mt. Rainier, MD., 20712. Its e-mail address is NewWaysM@verizon.net.