Being Gay and Catholic is Not an Oxymoron

By Derek Welch --
26 Dec 2015 --

A gay Detroit couple remains steadfastly Catholic, despite the religion’s opposition to same-sex marriage.

Although Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, has made various statements that show acceptance of homosexuals, currently it is against the faith to live a life while being in a same-sex marriage. A couple in Detroit, Bryan Victor and Thomas Molina-Duarte got married in an Episcopal Church. There were many people who were in attendance such as the family members, the uncle of Victor, and a Catholic priest. The reverend did not officiate because he thought it would be in conflict with his current position. He told his nephew, “The Catholic Church needs more examples of gay holiness.”

Being Gay and Catholic is Not an Oxymoron[/tweetthis]

Victor and Molina attend mass together every Sunday, they sit with their parents and they participate in mass. In addition to this they find sustenance spiritually at their church and they also have found acceptance amongst the other members of the congregation. According to Victor, “We remain in the church rather than leaving. The reason is that it is my faith. It is my guide and it is how I treat people. This is my community.”

Even though the Supreme Court has recently ruled in favor of gay marriage in all 50 states, the Catholic Church still remains opposed to the practice. What this has meant for many gay Catholics is that they have been married outside of the church. This has been something that has been more complicated for members of the faith because many of them have children who are gay.

In Austria, there was a movement from one bishop to attempt to ban another church official who was openly gay from taking his position. However, this position was denied by the Church. There are also many supporters of gay rights who are not homosexual but who have family members who are.

There is a long standing tradition in the Catholic faith to allow the conscience to be the guide of most people and that means that it is not necessary for the believer themselves to worry too much as the church allows for a few of these issues to be worked out with time.

In addition to this, there are also many positions in the past that the church has taken that were later overturned. In the past, the church supported capital punishment as well as slavery. These ideas were overturned with time. As society changed, there were many new ideas that became a part of the Catholic landscape.

Jesus himself came into contact with many men and women who were not practicing sexual purity in the eyes of God. These included prostitutes, adulterers, and many others. Jesus still never turned his faithful from the church or from his presence. For this reason there is hope that there will be a change in procedure as well as a change in policy on the part of the church in the coming year or so. All members of the faith want to have the ability to worship in peace.