Letter to the Advocate from Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum
The Vatican
To the Editor: It is the height of religious bigotry that the Catholic Church is now proposing a witch hunt ("Vatican to Check US Seminaries on Gay Presence", 9/15/05) as a policy response to the epidemic of sexual abuse perpetrated by some priests and covered up by some bishops. The Church has condemned gay people before - Cardinal Ratzinger last year called homosexuality "an intrinsic moral evil" and opposed efforts in this country to allow lesbians and gay men to adopt children, be foster parents or be school teachers. It is unconscionable that the Vatican insists on equating the sexual abuse of children with being gay. Eliminating (closeted) gay people from religious leadership instead of addressing the real problems of abuse is another attempt by a religious institution to use a scapegoat. Sometimes in history it has been the Jews. Now it is the gay people. This isn’t a new tactic for religion. The Pope’s previous position, after all, has its roots in the Office of the Inquisition. The Catholic Church has officially apologized to the Jews for its historical persecution and anti-Semitism. I believe the day will come when it will apologize to gay people.
Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum