Friday, October 26, 2007

A Good Reporter


Gerald Renner has died. He co-wrote with Jason Berry the book entitled Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II. His book showed how sexual abuse within the Legionaries of Christ was allowed to flourish because that order was pleasing to the Vatican in its conservatism.

I had a few conversations with Mr. Renner. I found him to be one of the few non-clergymen to really understand all the components of pressure on the mind of a priest that will make him decide on one course of action or another. He got it. He also had a disarming way of leading a conversation into unexpected terrain. The mark of a good reporter.

The Legionaries of Christ have my 84 year old mother on their mailing list. They constantly bother her with requests for money.

I remember them from Rome. They were extremely handsome in an identical way as if they had all been recruited by the same man who had a particular taste, and that was indeed the case.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Why Not?

I am the Number One Official Gay Priest of the Roman Catholic Church.

None of the others seem to be interested in claiming this title. Any that want to can wrestle me for it.

It occurred to me that there ought to be a reservoir of thought on the subject of gay priests that I would maintain in addition to my other blog, Farmboyz/PergeModo, which is more preoccupied with New York City, Fort Lauderdale, art, sex, travel, socializing, architecture and fiction.

Some would say that I ought to be labeled "Ex-Priest". Not really. Two Monsignor friends of mine recently checked into my offical status at the chancery office of my diocese. The record contains no mention of termination. It simply stops when I stopped holding down a parish assignment. I guess they wanted to keep the door open with hopes that I might return. That may change should I begin to be read more widely, but I cannot see the point of worrying much about that. There is air to be cleared, and I am in the rather unique position to do it.

For those beginning to salivate:

I do not intend to "out" any gay priests or bishops or cardinals or popes.

I do not intend to express hatred and rage toward the Catholic Church because I feel neither hatred nor rage, only profound disappointment.

I do intend to help people realize that most priests are gay and that there are some valid reasons for their hiding this fact, as well as a mountain of invalid reasons.

It would give me no satisfaction to injure the Catholic Church. It would give me great satisfaction to move that Church forward even slightly in the direction of complete acceptance of homosexuality and its activities.

I do intend to shoot at hypocrisy and stupidity whenever and wherever it is given voice within the ranks of the Catholic clergy.

OK?