Today, in conjunction with the response of the Archdiocese in opposition to Same-Sex Marriage Archbishop Wuerl also issued a Pastoral Message for Homosexual Catholics in the Archdiocese of Washington. You can read the whole message by clicking on the title highlighted in color in the previous sentence. Here are a few excerpts:
Of the many teachings of the Catholic Church, perhaps some of the most challenging for Catholics in today’s culture involve human sexuality, including homosexuality. Modern cultural pressures and assumptions are often at odds with the teachings of Christ handed down through the centuries. For some parishioners the issues are deeply personal. Living out the Church’s teaching can be a difficult challenge. Yet, no one needs to do this separated from the grace and love of the Church.
It is important to affirm that the Catholic Church is and always will be welcoming of any person who seeks who seeks a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ….The Catechism of the Catholic Church upholds the human dignity of every person and condemns any form of unjust discrimination (2358).
After setting forth the Scriptural foundations of Catholic teaching and our opposition to same-sex marriage the Archbishop goes on to express his pastoral concern and prayers.
Factors in my marriage require that I will live a celibate life. Is it what I wanted? No, but it also isn’t a tortuous existence. I requires that I be more creative in fulfilling my needs for human intimacy. It has required that I grow in a number of ways for which I am actually grateful.
I didn’t get what I wanted regarding a physical relationship, and that has made me grow beyond my physical needs. For me, that has been a good thing, but it took a long time and help from others to see it that way. I’m fortunate that I’ve had the opportunity to share my story with one young, homosexual male who is Catholic and had struggled with his faith and our culture. We still talk regularly about whether or not his homosexuality is a cross.