Kasper's Right: The African Episcopate and Homosexuality

Suffice it to say that I never thought I'd see the day where I'd go to bat for Walter Kasper. Even less did I think that I'd be defending him during these tumultuous times where he's proven to be...well...less than helpful for the Church. However, despite my deep disagreements with the Cardinal's proposals on many issues, I feel compelled to stick up for him. Over the past day or so, veteran reporter Edwin Pentin released an interview wherein His Eminence waxes less than eloquently on the topic of his African brothers and homosexuality (emphases mine).

Pentin: It has been said that he added five special rapporteurs on Friday to help the general rapporteur, Cardinal Peter Erdo. Is that because he’s trying to push things through according to his wishes?

Kasper: I do not see this going on in the Pope’s head. But I think the majority of these five people are open people who want to go on with this. The problem, as well, is that there are different problems of different continents and different cultures. Africa is totally different from the West. Also Asian and Muslim countries, they’re very different, especially about gays. You can’t speak about this with Africans and people of Muslim countries. It’s not possible. It’s a taboo. For us, we say we ought not to discriminate, we don’t want to discriminate in certain respects.

P. But are African participants listened to in this regard?

K. No, the majority of them [who hold these views won’t speak about them].

P. They’re not listened to?

K. In Africa of course [their views are listened to], where it’s a taboo.

P. What has changed for you, regarding the methodology of this synod? [question from French journalist]

K. I think in the end there must be a general line in the Church, general criteria, but then the questions of Africa we cannot solve. There must be space also for the local bishops’ conferences to solve their problems but I’d say with Africa it’s impossible [for us to solve]. But they should not tell us too much what we have to do.

The incessant, frothing shrieks of racism from almost every corner of the Catholic blogosphere have eliminated almost any any chance of reasonable discussion on the topic. Rorate, God bless 'em, headed their piece with this: 

Da fuq...?

So, is Kasper actually a closet bigot who thinks himself superior than his Third World counterparts? Well, yeah probably. However, that doesn't mean he's necessarily wrong about large swathes of the African episcopate. Come with me for a second to Nigeria, where the Church is exploding and the faith is strong. You may have heard something about Nigeria's recent anti-homosexual legislation, which includes up to 10-year-prison sentences for "directly or indirectly [making] a public show of same sex amorous relationship." Assuredly the Nigerian bishops arose as one and, while reaffirming the moral illicitude of homosexual acts, denounced such draconian castings of the first stone. Assuredly, they adhered to the line of then-Pope Benedict XVI who, "opposed...‘unjust discrimination’ against gay men and lesbians.” Er, well, no. Not exactly. The Chairman of the Nigerian Conference of Bishops hailed the legislation as "courageous" and "a step in the right direction." They held Masses of Thanksgiving, for cripe's sake. In an age where the Pope is trying to achieve rapprochement with gays, without changing doctrine, the African bishops lag severely behind and don't even think its a problem.

Is it really racist to say that, maybe, these aren't the folks we should be taking our cues on LGBQT-Catholic relations from? Is it really all that condescending to suggest that the Afro-Islamic world, including the Christian clergy therein, could stand to catch up a bit with the West on human rights? Does anyone really think we should be listening to these people on how to deal with homosexuals in Seattle or Brussels? You'd have to be nuts to buy that. 

Now I need to go take a shower.

How Gays and (Real) Catholics can Coexist

It was not so long ago, historically speaking, that the Roman Catholic Church condemned religious liberty as a perfidious doctrine foreign to the apostolic faith and one to be fought at every available opportunity. It was likewise not so long ago that Blessed Pius IX ordered the kidnapping of a young Jewish boy who had been baptized by his nurse, separating him permanently from his parents and raising him as a Catholic. Of course, 150 years on, the sight of Popes praying with Rabbis at the Western Wall and in synagogues has become a perfectly normal one.  In a move which undoubtedly set Bl. Pius spinning in his sarcophagus, Vatican II declared in no uncertain terms that “the human person has a right to religious freedom.” What, exactly, changed between the 19^th and 20^th centuries? It is certainly not doctrine, for the Catholic Church knows no development of doctrine which would contradict what came before. No, what happened was a shift in practical realities and a corresponding adjustment by the Church. This shift in approach, accepted by most of the world’s Catholics and conservative Christians, has deep ramifications in unexpected places; namely, in Pauline Christianity’s relationship with homosexuals.

The Catholic Church should accept gay marriage in the same way and for the same reasons it has accepted religious pluralism. Tolerance does not equate approval, and the same toleration which we extend to other religious communities should equally be extended to alternative lifestyles. I’m convinced that the only reason most homosexuals treat conservatives Christians as pariahs, and at every opportunity marginalize them from the public square, is because they see us as an existential threat to their liberty. This perception isn’t some grand, leftist delusion. It’s the only logical conclusion they can come to when observing the behavior and rhetoric of mainstream Christian leaders over the past 35 years. When Pope Benedict XVI referred to the gay rights movement as a threat to humanity on par with global warming, or when Pope Francis asserted that gay rights is “a plot from the Father of lies,” can we honestly blame the LGBQT community for seeing us as anything less than a threat? I don’t think so.

Of course, the LGBQT community has much to answer for as well. Just because someone holds the same sexual ethics as Jesus, Gandhi, the Buddha and Martin Luther King Jr. doesn’t automatically mean that they’re a bigot. The LGBQT community needs to accept the fact that religious opposition to alternative sexualities can, in fact, stem from intellectually respectable worldviews. They also need to denounce the increasing incidences of anti-Christian bigotry, such as the crucifixion of former Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich and the more recent persecution of artistic director, and Mormon, Scott Eckern.  It is precisely these sorts of incidents which force many religious conservatives to see LGBQT equality as directly inimical to religious freedom, and the LGBQT community has just as much of a responsibility to end this conflict as the religious conservatives.

Coexistence is most definitely possible, but it will necessitate both sides laying down their arms, agreeing to disagree and letting one another live in peace. Fellow Christians: gays are not going to destroy the family any more than no-fault divorce has, and if you need somebody to blame, blame the Protestants for accepting it in the first place.  We have bigger fish to fry than gay marriage, like the millions of abortions taking place every year and the steep decline in religious faith of any kind. Gays: We’re not your enemies. We (for the most part) genuinely care about your happiness and spiritual health. For whatever wrongs we have committed against you in the name of God, we apologize unreservedly and beg your forgiveness. We also ask, however, that you accept us for who we are and what we believe. Don’t ask us to alter the Word of God to accommodate your lifestyles. Just as we need to stay out of your bedrooms, you need to stay out of our Bibles.

I believe that we can make it out of this mess together. Let us pray that, at the dawn of a new decade, people of all religious backgrounds and sexual orientations can find it within themselves to live together in peace.