Support the natural family by supporting new guidelines on lay roles in the Church
Irish Bishops urged to safeguard marriage as they safeguard lay Church roles against LGBT activism
Irish Bishops urged to safeguard marriage as they safeguard lay Church roles against LGBT activism
CitizenGO started this petition to Irish Catholic Bishops Conference
As it has been reported in the national press in Ireland, a lesbian couple (Jacinta O'Donnell and Geraldine Flanagan) in Athy, who had first decided to step-down from leaderships roles in the Choir and as Eucharistic Minister, have now been asked to return to their leadership roles in St Michael's parish, in spite of the fact that they were civilly "married" last July, and in spite of the fact that this union is not only against Church teaching, but also against the Gospel message - which admits marriage as only between one man and one woman.
And, now, the layman who first brought this irregularity to the attention of the couple and to Church authorities, Mr Anthony Murphy, has received death threats and been subject to other forms of intimidation.
Mr Murphy, who is a member of the parish, as well as being the editor of a national Catholic paper, the Catholic Voice, told The Irish Times: "This was never about asking Jacinta and Geraldine not to sing in the choir. It’s not about sexual orientation...People can strongly disagree with what I have said, however I ask people to look at which side the real hate is coming from."
In fact, Mr Murphy was advised by gardaí [the Irish police service] not to attend this past Sunday's Mass for, "[his] own personal safety".
This petition, which is not a personal attack on Ms O'Donnell or Ms Flanagan, is, rather, an effort to redress this situation, by asking that the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference issue guidelines which, in light of the Same-sex "Marriage" Referendum last year, would be designed to safeguard the institution of marriage as between one man and one woman, by safeguarding leadership roles in the Church - reserving them for people who observe the Church's teaching on marriage in their private lives.
Most reasonable people understand that the Catholic Church's constant teaching on marriage has been to admit only marriage as between one man and one woman. Most reasonable people also understand that the Catholic Church simply cannot change its teaching to suit the spirit of the times.
Additionally, most reasonable people can understand that it is a contradiction to hold public, leadership positions in the institutional Church, while at the same time as leading private lives in direct opposition to the teaching of the Church.
In other places around the world, notably in the US after the Obergefell judgement by the US Supreme Court, which made same-sex "marriage" legal in all 50 states, Catholic Bishops have issued guidelines to ensure that positions of leadership in the Church, as well as Church facilities, do not lend themselves to a misinterpretation of the Church's teaching on marriage. These guidelines have sought to ensure that the Church did not give tacit approval for same-sex "marriage" where members of the laity, in leadership positions, are concerned.
This petition asks the Irish Bishops to adopt similar measures. Thank you for signing!
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Please draw up a plan to safeguard the natural family by safeguarding lay Church roles from contradictory philosophies
For the Kind Attention of the Irish Catholic Bishops Conference and the Papal Nuncio of Ireland, the Most Rev Charles John Brown:
In light of recent events in Athy, Co Kildare, where the issue of lay leadership in the Church has taken centre stage, we, the undersigned, call on the Irish Catholic Bishops Conference to draw-up guidelines which will ensure that the Church's teaching on the natural family be protected from LGBT activists, who may seek to use their lay leadership roles as a platform to confuse the average churchgoer about marriage.
At the same time as asking that Church policy for lay leaders/ministers actually reflect Church teaching on these issue, we wish to make it clear that this petition is not personally against anyone. Rather, this petition is FOR the protection of the natural family based on the constant teaching of the Catholic Church regarding the institution of marriage as only between one man and one woman.
In the recent series of events in Athy, the lesbian couple returned to the parish amidst applause, etc., but this does not take away from the Bishops' responsibility to act, in a charitable way, to protect the faithful from scandal, especially on such a fundamental issue as marriage. In any case, it is not known how many of those in attendance were actually members of the parish, and how many were visiting, with the express purpose of making local support appear greater than it actually was.
The fact that the initial whistleblower, who drew the attention of Church authorities to this irregularity with the lay ministry of the parish, has been subject to death threats and community harassment, is a signal that something needs to be done about this by the institutional Church, rather than just leaving the issue to be dealt with on a parish-by-parish basis.
Therefore, this petition asks the Irish Bishops Conference to adopt similar measures as those adopted by several American Bishops, after the US Supreme Court ruled, in their flawed Obergefell judgement, that same-sex "marriage" was legal in all 50 states (this is similar to the same-sex marriage referendum occurring in Ireland last year).
Bishop Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler (Texas), for example, wrote that he would implement a particular church law in his Diocese, to the effect that: "...no member of the clergy or any person acting as employee of the Church may in any way participate in the solemnization or consecration of same-sex marriages, and that no Catholic facilities or properties, including churches, chapels, meeting halls, Catholic educational, health or charitable institutions, or any places dedicated or consecrated, or used for Catholic worship, may be used for the solemnization or consecration of same-sex marriages."
Whatever one's status in the Church, most people understand that there are "rules" in the Church based on the Gospel message of Christ. And, most reasonable people can understand that it is a contradiction to hold public, leadership positions in the institutional Church, while at the same time as leading private lives in direct opposition to the teaching of the Church.
That is why the type of clarity exhibited above would be appreciated by most Irish churchgoers.
Thank you for your urgent attention to this matter.
Please draw up a plan to safeguard the natural family by safeguarding lay Church roles from contradictory philosophies
For the Kind Attention of the Irish Catholic Bishops Conference and the Papal Nuncio of Ireland, the Most Rev Charles John Brown:
In light of recent events in Athy, Co Kildare, where the issue of lay leadership in the Church has taken centre stage, we, the undersigned, call on the Irish Catholic Bishops Conference to draw-up guidelines which will ensure that the Church's teaching on the natural family be protected from LGBT activists, who may seek to use their lay leadership roles as a platform to confuse the average churchgoer about marriage.
At the same time as asking that Church policy for lay leaders/ministers actually reflect Church teaching on these issue, we wish to make it clear that this petition is not personally against anyone. Rather, this petition is FOR the protection of the natural family based on the constant teaching of the Catholic Church regarding the institution of marriage as only between one man and one woman.
In the recent series of events in Athy, the lesbian couple returned to the parish amidst applause, etc., but this does not take away from the Bishops' responsibility to act, in a charitable way, to protect the faithful from scandal, especially on such a fundamental issue as marriage. In any case, it is not known how many of those in attendance were actually members of the parish, and how many were visiting, with the express purpose of making local support appear greater than it actually was.
The fact that the initial whistleblower, who drew the attention of Church authorities to this irregularity with the lay ministry of the parish, has been subject to death threats and community harassment, is a signal that something needs to be done about this by the institutional Church, rather than just leaving the issue to be dealt with on a parish-by-parish basis.
Therefore, this petition asks the Irish Bishops Conference to adopt similar measures as those adopted by several American Bishops, after the US Supreme Court ruled, in their flawed Obergefell judgement, that same-sex "marriage" was legal in all 50 states (this is similar to the same-sex marriage referendum occurring in Ireland last year).
Bishop Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler (Texas), for example, wrote that he would implement a particular church law in his Diocese, to the effect that: "...no member of the clergy or any person acting as employee of the Church may in any way participate in the solemnization or consecration of same-sex marriages, and that no Catholic facilities or properties, including churches, chapels, meeting halls, Catholic educational, health or charitable institutions, or any places dedicated or consecrated, or used for Catholic worship, may be used for the solemnization or consecration of same-sex marriages."
Whatever one's status in the Church, most people understand that there are "rules" in the Church based on the Gospel message of Christ. And, most reasonable people can understand that it is a contradiction to hold public, leadership positions in the institutional Church, while at the same time as leading private lives in direct opposition to the teaching of the Church.
That is why the type of clarity exhibited above would be appreciated by most Irish churchgoers.
Thank you for your urgent attention to this matter.
