Father Imbelli of the Theology department at BC contests the article written by Celso Perez, GLC president, about what it means to be a questioning Catholic. While Celso cites that it is completely necessary to question and explore the meanings of Catholicism and how it applies to our lives today as a University, Fr. Imbelli calls into question those lives and whether they are 'standing under the cross of Christ.' It leaves much to be desired in this discussion.
Read on, friends..
The Heights
Letters to the Editor
Monday, September 17, 2007
Does Catholicism call your 'experiences' to 'conversion'?
Celso Perez wrote a careful letter that was printed in The Heights on Sept. 13 ("A 'c'est la vie' attitude on Catholic tradition is 'dangerous.'") In it he discussed Catholic teaching "On the Pastoral Care of Homosexuals" and raised some considerations regarding development in Catholic moral teaching. Among the factors that enter into moral discernment, he mentions the teaching of the Church's magisterium, Scripture, and what he calls "the normative human experience."
Now, of course, what constitutes "normative human experience" is precisely what is at issue. Appeals to "my experience" abound. But the Christian, instructed by Christ's call to conversion, will always seriously raise the question: Is my experience, the self I am, the meanings and values I espouse, being called to conversion?
Mr. Perez then goes on to quote "one Catholic theologian" who maintains that sin is "simply not bothering to love." One may even concede the point, but add: "Love is also caring enough to say to another, with compassion and concern: the way you are following is not one that leads to true life."
Finally, the same theologian defines mercy as "the willingness to enter into the chaos of others." Once more one may accept this starting point, yet be compelled to complete it by saying: "but not to add to the chaos, rather hopefully to bring the light of Christ."
All Christians, straight or gay, married or single, stand under the cross of Christ to learn from him what constitutes "normative human experience."
Father Robert Imbelli
Department of Theology
www.BCHeights.com
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Kicking off a great year! Updates!!
We're off to a great start this year! So far we have plenty in the making.. A little update on what we've been working on:
--Open meetings! Come by on MONDAYS at 9:30, McGuinn 3rd floor lounge! This week we are mingling with Chocolate Fondue at 8pm before the meeting to get to socialize a bit before getting down to business. Feel free to stop by for as long or short as you'd like!
--NEW WEBSITE! Up and running, and it looks gorgeous--kudos to our webmaster Tachi. http://bcglbt.org
--NCOW (Oct 1-5): really coming together strong--check out the calendar for all event listings--NEW on the menu is "I Feel Pretty" (Friday)--an empowering fashion show where models (BC students) model in and talk about what they are least and most comfortable in. Still looking for models! Contact My-Yen for more infor: ytran04@gmail.com
--Dan Savage (Oct 18th): Syndicated columnist of "Savage Love" is coming to Robsham theater, tickets are FREE!
--Queer Peers: up and running, although we're looking to start having 'office hours' in the near future, keep an ear out for that.
Currently brewing:
-Catholic lecture series with the Theology department (dates TBA)
-Freshman welcome event(s) (dates TBA)
-LAMBDA--we're looking for a leader to run the GLBT social group, for now we're combining it with GLC
-ALLIES--also under construction
-GBLT CURA group?
-Alumni reunion?
Look out for more updates coming soon :)
--Open meetings! Come by on MONDAYS at 9:30, McGuinn 3rd floor lounge! This week we are mingling with Chocolate Fondue at 8pm before the meeting to get to socialize a bit before getting down to business. Feel free to stop by for as long or short as you'd like!
--NEW WEBSITE! Up and running, and it looks gorgeous--kudos to our webmaster Tachi. http://bcglbt.org
--NCOW (Oct 1-5): really coming together strong--check out the calendar for all event listings--NEW on the menu is "I Feel Pretty" (Friday)--an empowering fashion show where models (BC students) model in and talk about what they are least and most comfortable in. Still looking for models! Contact My-Yen for more infor: ytran04@gmail.com
--Dan Savage (Oct 18th): Syndicated columnist of "Savage Love" is coming to Robsham theater, tickets are FREE!
--Queer Peers: up and running, although we're looking to start having 'office hours' in the near future, keep an ear out for that.
Currently brewing:
-Catholic lecture series with the Theology department (dates TBA)
-Freshman welcome event(s) (dates TBA)
-LAMBDA--we're looking for a leader to run the GLBT social group, for now we're combining it with GLC
-ALLIES--also under construction
-GBLT CURA group?
-Alumni reunion?
Look out for more updates coming soon :)
Friday, September 14, 2007
GLC responds to Heights article
After the concerning article written by Josh Darr came out in The Heights last week, Celso Perez our GLC presidents responds:
A 'c'est la vie' attitude on Catholic tradition is 'dangerous'
In last Thursday's issue of The Heights, staff columnist Joshua Darr explored the condition of GLBTQ rights on Boston College's campus in "The Gay Rights Reality (Opinions, Sept. 6)." Darr proposed that while the GLBTQ Leadership Council (GLC) is "fighting the good fight," BC is a Catholic university and the University's administration must therefore submit itself to magisterial teaching on homosexuality. I find his portrayal of a Catholic university ill-informed.
Darr's statement that "The Catholic Church will continue to determine God's will as it sees it. BC has to follow these interpretations," is simplistic at best. BC is not a seminary, but a university. And as a university, BC is dedicated to the search for truth, guided by its Catholic principles. That is, when the search for truth comes into conflict with Catholic doctrine, due respect must be given to the Catholic tradition. But students, faculty, and administrators are called to critically engage these teachings, not simply affirm them.
Although it is unclear in his article, I suppose that when Darr refers to the view of the Catholic Church on homosexuality, he mainly is referring to the teachings similar to those expressed in the letter to the bishops, "On the Pastoral Care of Homosexuals." Among other things, this letter states, "Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder." While this passage leaves little room for interpretation, it is by no means an end to the conversation on homosexuality in general, or that passage in particular.
Magisterial teaching is but one element, albeit an important one, to be considered in moral discernment by a Catholic university. Contemporary moral theologians will cite other reference points including, but not limited to, Scripture, secular disciplines of knowledge, and the normative human experience. These reference points, often in tension with one another, lead to the development of moral doctrine. As Darr points out in the case of Galileo: While maintaining its commitment to the teachings of Christ, magisterial teaching and the greater Catholic tradition evolve over time. Scholars too have documented this phenomenon. Among other contemporary historians, John Noonan specifically explores the development of Catholic moral teaching on freedom of conscience, lending for profit, and slavery in A Church that Can and Cannot Change.
Given that moral doctrine is constantly developing, we must take an active role in engaging the Catholic tradition. "Not everything that exists in the Church must for that reason be also a legitimate tradition; in other words, not every tradition that arises in the Church is a true celebration and keeping present of the mystery of Christ. There is a distorting, as well as legitimate, tradition […] Consequently, tradition must not be considered only affirmatively, but also critically," wrote Pope Benedict XVI (then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger). In this light, I would say it is a living tradition that BC is part of; one that it must actively help shape, not passively subscribe to.
A friend of mine described Darr's article as follows: "[his] c'est la vie attitude is frighteningly dangerous; an outlook of someone throwing his hands up nonchalantly." Personally, it reminds me of Rev. Martin Luther King's description of the white moderate, "Who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is in the presence of justice." I don't feel that adopting such a passive attitude before such an important issue behooves a Catholic university.
Looking at the parable of the Good Samaritan, that of Lazarus and the rich man, and Matthew's last judgment, one Catholic theologian identifies sin as, "simply not bothering to love." He proposes that in each case "our entire [Catholic] theological tradition is expressed in terms of mercy, which I define as the willingness to enter into the chaos of others." I echo this proposal. Rather than defining a Catholic university as one that simply "follows these interpretations [of the magisterium]," I suggest defining it as one that enters into the chaos of all its students; including the gay ones. That's the Catholic university I hope BC strives to become.
Celso Perez
GLC President
www.bcheights.com (Letters to the Editor)
A 'c'est la vie' attitude on Catholic tradition is 'dangerous'
In last Thursday's issue of The Heights, staff columnist Joshua Darr explored the condition of GLBTQ rights on Boston College's campus in "The Gay Rights Reality (Opinions, Sept. 6)." Darr proposed that while the GLBTQ Leadership Council (GLC) is "fighting the good fight," BC is a Catholic university and the University's administration must therefore submit itself to magisterial teaching on homosexuality. I find his portrayal of a Catholic university ill-informed.
Darr's statement that "The Catholic Church will continue to determine God's will as it sees it. BC has to follow these interpretations," is simplistic at best. BC is not a seminary, but a university. And as a university, BC is dedicated to the search for truth, guided by its Catholic principles. That is, when the search for truth comes into conflict with Catholic doctrine, due respect must be given to the Catholic tradition. But students, faculty, and administrators are called to critically engage these teachings, not simply affirm them.
Although it is unclear in his article, I suppose that when Darr refers to the view of the Catholic Church on homosexuality, he mainly is referring to the teachings similar to those expressed in the letter to the bishops, "On the Pastoral Care of Homosexuals." Among other things, this letter states, "Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder." While this passage leaves little room for interpretation, it is by no means an end to the conversation on homosexuality in general, or that passage in particular.
Magisterial teaching is but one element, albeit an important one, to be considered in moral discernment by a Catholic university. Contemporary moral theologians will cite other reference points including, but not limited to, Scripture, secular disciplines of knowledge, and the normative human experience. These reference points, often in tension with one another, lead to the development of moral doctrine. As Darr points out in the case of Galileo: While maintaining its commitment to the teachings of Christ, magisterial teaching and the greater Catholic tradition evolve over time. Scholars too have documented this phenomenon. Among other contemporary historians, John Noonan specifically explores the development of Catholic moral teaching on freedom of conscience, lending for profit, and slavery in A Church that Can and Cannot Change.
Given that moral doctrine is constantly developing, we must take an active role in engaging the Catholic tradition. "Not everything that exists in the Church must for that reason be also a legitimate tradition; in other words, not every tradition that arises in the Church is a true celebration and keeping present of the mystery of Christ. There is a distorting, as well as legitimate, tradition […] Consequently, tradition must not be considered only affirmatively, but also critically," wrote Pope Benedict XVI (then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger). In this light, I would say it is a living tradition that BC is part of; one that it must actively help shape, not passively subscribe to.
A friend of mine described Darr's article as follows: "[his] c'est la vie attitude is frighteningly dangerous; an outlook of someone throwing his hands up nonchalantly." Personally, it reminds me of Rev. Martin Luther King's description of the white moderate, "Who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is in the presence of justice." I don't feel that adopting such a passive attitude before such an important issue behooves a Catholic university.
Looking at the parable of the Good Samaritan, that of Lazarus and the rich man, and Matthew's last judgment, one Catholic theologian identifies sin as, "simply not bothering to love." He proposes that in each case "our entire [Catholic] theological tradition is expressed in terms of mercy, which I define as the willingness to enter into the chaos of others." I echo this proposal. Rather than defining a Catholic university as one that simply "follows these interpretations [of the magisterium]," I suggest defining it as one that enters into the chaos of all its students; including the gay ones. That's the Catholic university I hope BC strives to become.
Celso Perez
GLC President
www.bcheights.com (Letters to the Editor)
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Heights article--Misinformed? Offensive?
Published this Thursday in our first week of classes, Joshua Darr writes about the gay community's, especially GLC's efforts at Boston College. Citing Catholic dogma and supposed GLC agendas, he talks about BC's need to strictly follow magsterial teaching without the possibility of exploring, questioning, and discerning what Catholicism means to us as a Catholic university. Read on, friends..
The Gay Rights Reality
Published in the Thursday, September 6, 2007 Edition of The Heights
By Joshua Darr
They just want to have a dance. They just want to be a recognized student organization. They just want some measure of official acceptance.
Who could deny them that?
For better or for worse, Boston College is a Catholic Jesuit university. This quality is stressed to us in information packets, orientations, and even in the basic architecture of the University. This carries with it certain ideological weight - most of it for the better. BC folds religion into philosophy and other disciplines more than most universities. Since most people experience the world through the prism of some religious belief, the University's focus on theology and social justice leads its students to a more nuanced and complete understanding of the world. While the perspective at BC is unabashedly Catholic, other religions are represented through organizations like the Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Student Association (MEISSA) or BC Hillel.
Nonetheless, this remains a Catholic university. That carries with it certain burdens and perspectives, one of which is the church's opposition to homosexuality and its characterization of homosexuality as a sin.
So what of GLBT students at BC? GLBT student groups such as the GLBTQ Leadership Council (GLC) have been pushing for greater acceptance from the administration for years. Juniors and seniors will remember the last-minute cancellation of the "GLC Diversity Ball: A Night in 'Gay Paris'" several years ago, which was viewed as a major setback by BC's gay community. The administration did not believe that the idea of a "gay-only" dance was consistent with university (Catholic) values. While there was no problem with gay couples attending university-wide dances, a "gay-themed" dance would be viewed as "condoning the gay lifestyle."
The University was attempting to walk the fine line between staying true to Catholic values and promoting acceptance for all students. The gay community at BC did not take kindly to these actions.
By then, however, much progress had already been made. The GLC is a major force on campus, sponsoring speakers and panels, working closely with other student groups to promote understanding, and becoming one of the strongest voices at the ear of the UGBC.
The fact that we are in Massachusetts, and students could walk down the street and become legally married, has certainly strengthened their cause. They are fighting the good fight, but in the end, their struggle is not against the administration - it is against the values of the Catholic Church.
The Catholic church believes what it believes, and does not change particularly easily. This is viewed as strength by many; it does not change with the winds of time. In fact, it is often behind the times. This is, after all, the church that waited until the 1990s to pardon Galileo for saying that the Earth revolves around the sun.
The Catholic Church will continue to determine God's will as it sees it. BC has to follow these interpretations. It does not have the luxury of picking and choosing which aspects of Catholic dogma it would like to follow. Every student who applied here knew what to expect; a Catholic education, consisting of the good and the bad.
Both sides recognize the volatility of this issue on campus. The GLBT groups know at some level that if they confront the church head-on, their chances for some gains are nil.
The administration desperately wants to be fair to all students, but knows it must cling to Catholic dogma. This issue will simmer beneath the surface all year, but neither side wants to make the first move.
The administration had every right to deny the GLC its dance due to the constrictive nature of Catholic dogma. That is the nature of going to a Catholic university, whether or not you find that regrettable. It is absolutely right, however, for the GLC to demand more and more rights and acceptance.
While that might not be the most exciting resolution, a slow and steady progression of the cause of gay rights on this campus is the best way for both sides to hold to their values and realize their goals. If either side is looking to pick a battle, they might just end up losing the war.
Joshua Darr is a Heights staff columnist.
www.bcheights.com (Opinions)
The Gay Rights Reality
Published in the Thursday, September 6, 2007 Edition of The Heights
By Joshua Darr
They just want to have a dance. They just want to be a recognized student organization. They just want some measure of official acceptance.
Who could deny them that?
For better or for worse, Boston College is a Catholic Jesuit university. This quality is stressed to us in information packets, orientations, and even in the basic architecture of the University. This carries with it certain ideological weight - most of it for the better. BC folds religion into philosophy and other disciplines more than most universities. Since most people experience the world through the prism of some religious belief, the University's focus on theology and social justice leads its students to a more nuanced and complete understanding of the world. While the perspective at BC is unabashedly Catholic, other religions are represented through organizations like the Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Student Association (MEISSA) or BC Hillel.
Nonetheless, this remains a Catholic university. That carries with it certain burdens and perspectives, one of which is the church's opposition to homosexuality and its characterization of homosexuality as a sin.
So what of GLBT students at BC? GLBT student groups such as the GLBTQ Leadership Council (GLC) have been pushing for greater acceptance from the administration for years. Juniors and seniors will remember the last-minute cancellation of the "GLC Diversity Ball: A Night in 'Gay Paris'" several years ago, which was viewed as a major setback by BC's gay community. The administration did not believe that the idea of a "gay-only" dance was consistent with university (Catholic) values. While there was no problem with gay couples attending university-wide dances, a "gay-themed" dance would be viewed as "condoning the gay lifestyle."
The University was attempting to walk the fine line between staying true to Catholic values and promoting acceptance for all students. The gay community at BC did not take kindly to these actions.
By then, however, much progress had already been made. The GLC is a major force on campus, sponsoring speakers and panels, working closely with other student groups to promote understanding, and becoming one of the strongest voices at the ear of the UGBC.
The fact that we are in Massachusetts, and students could walk down the street and become legally married, has certainly strengthened their cause. They are fighting the good fight, but in the end, their struggle is not against the administration - it is against the values of the Catholic Church.
The Catholic church believes what it believes, and does not change particularly easily. This is viewed as strength by many; it does not change with the winds of time. In fact, it is often behind the times. This is, after all, the church that waited until the 1990s to pardon Galileo for saying that the Earth revolves around the sun.
The Catholic Church will continue to determine God's will as it sees it. BC has to follow these interpretations. It does not have the luxury of picking and choosing which aspects of Catholic dogma it would like to follow. Every student who applied here knew what to expect; a Catholic education, consisting of the good and the bad.
Both sides recognize the volatility of this issue on campus. The GLBT groups know at some level that if they confront the church head-on, their chances for some gains are nil.
The administration desperately wants to be fair to all students, but knows it must cling to Catholic dogma. This issue will simmer beneath the surface all year, but neither side wants to make the first move.
The administration had every right to deny the GLC its dance due to the constrictive nature of Catholic dogma. That is the nature of going to a Catholic university, whether or not you find that regrettable. It is absolutely right, however, for the GLC to demand more and more rights and acceptance.
While that might not be the most exciting resolution, a slow and steady progression of the cause of gay rights on this campus is the best way for both sides to hold to their values and realize their goals. If either side is looking to pick a battle, they might just end up losing the war.
Joshua Darr is a Heights staff columnist.
www.bcheights.com (Opinions)
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