CONGREGATION BANS TWO RELIGIOUS FROM MINISTRY TO HOMOSEXUALS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 13, 1999 (VIS) - Made public today was a Notification from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith regarding Sr. Jeannine Gramick S.S.N.D. and Fr. Robert Nugent S.D.S., founders of the "New Ways Ministry" organization in the archdiocese of Washington, U.S.A. For more than 20 years they have been involved in pastoral activities directed towards homosexual persons. They are also the authors of the book: "Building Bridges: Gay and Lesbian Reality and the Catholic Church."

Below are some excerpts from the document - published in English, Italian, Spanish, French, German and Portuguese - which is signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., emeritus of Vercelli, respectively prefect and secretary of the congregation:

"From the beginning, in presenting the Church's teaching on homosexuality, Father Nugent and Sister Gramick have continually called central elements of that teaching into question. For this reason, in 1984, James Cardinal Hickey, the Archbishop of Washington, following the failure of a number of attempts at clarification, informed them that they could no longer undertake their activities in that Archdiocese. At the same time, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life ordered them to separate themselves totally and completely from 'New Ways Ministry'."

"Despite this action by the Holy See, Father Nugent and Sister Gramick continued their involvement in activities organized by 'New Ways Ministry,' though removing themselves from leadership positions. They also continued to maintain and promote ambiguous positions on homosexuality and explicitly criticized documents of the Church's Magisterium on this issue."

"In 1988, the Holy See established a Commission under the Presidency of Adam Cardinal Maida to study and evaluate their public statements and activities and to determine whether these were faithful to Catholic teaching on homosexuality.

"After the publication of 'Building Bridges,' which summarized the activities and thinking (of the two religious), the investigation of the Commission focussed primarily on this book. ... The Commission found serious deficiencies in their writings and pastoral activities, which were incompatible with the fullness of Christian morality."

"In 1995, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life transferred the entire case to the competence of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. At this point, with the hope that Father Nugent and Sister Gramick would be willing to express their assent to Catholic teaching on homosexuality and to correct the errors in their writings, the Congregation undertook another attempt at resolution by inviting them to respond unequivocally to certain questions regarding their position on the morality of homosexual acts and on the homosexual inclination.

"Their responses, dated February 22, 1996, were not sufficiently clear to dispel the serious ambiguities of their position. In these, Sister Gramick and Father Nugent demonstrated a clear conceptual understanding of the Church's teaching on homosexuality, but refrained from professing any adherence to that teaching. Furthermore, the publication, in 1995, of their book 'Voices of Hope: A Collection of Positive Catholic Writings on Gay and Lesbian Issues' had made it clear that there was no change in their opposition to fundamental elements of the Church's teaching."

"The Congregation decided that the case should be resolved according to the procedure outlined in its 'Regulations for Doctrinal Examination' (chapter 4).

"Each was asked to respond to the 'contestatio' personally and independently from the other, to allow them the greatest freedom in expressing their individual positions."

"In the Ordinary Sessions of May 6 and May 20, 1998, the Members of the Congregation carefully evaluated the responses. ... (They) were unanimous in their decision that the responses of the two, while containing certain positive elements, were unacceptable. In each case, Father Nugent and Sister Gramick had sought to justify the publication of their books and neither had expressed personal adherence to the Church's teaching on homosexuality in sufficiently unequivocal terms. Thus, it was decided that they should be asked to formulate a public declaration. ... In this declaration they were asked to express their interior assent to the teaching of the Catholic Church on homosexuality and to acknowledge that the two above-mentioned books contained errors."

"Sister Gramick, while expressing her love for the Church, simply refused to express any assent whatsoever to the teaching of the Church on homosexuality. Father Nugent was more responsive, but not unequivocal in his statement of interior assent to the teaching of the Church. It was decided by the Members of the Congregation, therefore, that Father Nugent should be given yet another opportunity to express unequivocal assent. ... His response, dated January 25, 1999, showed that this attempt had not met with success. Father Nugent would not sign the declaration he had received and responded by formulating an alternative text which modified the Congregation's declaration on certain important points. In particular, he would not state that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered and he added a section which calls into question the definitive and unchangeable nature of Catholic doctrine in this area."

"The ambiguities and errors of the approach of Father Nugent and Sister Gramick have caused confusion among the Catholic people and have harmed the community of the Church. For these reasons, Sister Jeannine Gramick, S.S.N.D., and Father Robert Nugent, S.D.S., are permanently prohibited from any pastoral work involving homosexual persons and are ineligible, for an undetermined period, for any office in their respective religious institutes.

"The Sovereign Pontiff John Paul II, at the Audience of May 14, 1999, granted to the ... (congregation) secretary, approved the present Notification, adopted in the Ordinary Session of this Congregation, and ordered its publication."

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