It’s funny what you find on the internet about yourself…

This morning when I was surfing, I found two disturbing threads on two particularly disturbing forums. One was really a repost of the other.

To quote someone hiding behind the name of “Credo”, on one of the sites

and

the full text of the posts can be found here…

and also on this site posted by someone called Seosamh here… (warning only click if you really want to – it does not make for pleasant reading)

Michael Campbell is Constituency assistant to the Alliance Party leader David Ford.David Ford is the Justice Minister at Stormont. Campbell is also Secretary of Northern Ireland Gay Rights Association and a ‘Belfast Pride’ organiser. His Pride scouting unit took part in a recent ‘London Pride’ event. It was held same day as thousands marched in Belfast at a pro-life rally. Am sure you can guess which event the media reported. It’s interesting that Campbell links to organisations and people who openly attack the faith, the family and Social Order.

From my reading of these two sites, it seems that some people including some so-called Irish Nationalists and Catholics (with a particular leaning towards the SSPX) cannot work out how I can be both homosexual and a Catholic. Really, this needs to be put to bed (if that is appropriate as a term).

I am a Catholic, I attend Mass, I go to Confession, and I am gay (and I am an Irishman!)

His Eminence Dom Basil Cardinal Hume once said:

The Church recognises the dignity of all people and does not define or label them in terms of their sexual orientation…

The particular orientation or inclination of the homosexual person is not a moral failing. An inclination is not a sin…it is homosexual genital acts that are morally wrong…

Friendship is a gift from God…a way of loving. Friendship is necessary for every person…

Sexual loving presupposes friendship but friendship does not require…sexual involvement…

The word ‘love’ must never be thought of as synonymous with the word ‘sex’. Love can take many forms…love between two persons, whether of the same sex or of a different sex, is to be treasured and respected.

…that experience of love is spoiled, whether it is in marriage or in friendship, when we do not think and act as God wills us to think and act…

The Church is…aware that people may fail to live consistently what she teaches…the Church does not reject such people but wishes to walk with them in order to guide them to a fuller understanding and realisation of the teaching she holds to be God-given.

(full text can be found here)

There are some factual inaccuracies in the posts that are online…

• I am not secretary of the Northern Ireland Gay Rights Association,
• the anonymous posters refer to a ‘Pride Scouting’ organisation, by which I assume they mean, the Scout Association backed FLAGS – Fellowship for Lesbians & Gays in Scouting.
• the original interview quoted above was given prior to my being received into the Church on the Feast of the Chair of St Peter in the year of our Lord two thousand and five.

It is heartening to read that a fellow Liberal Democrat has blogged about this subject, read what he has to say here.

For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor might, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8.38-39 Douay-Rheims version)

Searching for Catholic and Gay brings up all sorts of things… I particularly like this one…

with thanks to Davey Wavey.