It must be a trend: Catholic bishops are laying down the law these days on the use of preferred pronouns, cross-dressing and other accoutrements of transgender individuals on their property.
Guess what? They’re not getting a lot of love from the media over it.
The latest fight is within the Archdiocese of Portland (Ore.), but the dioceses of Des Moines, St. Paul and Minneapolis and Springfield, Ill. have taken similar stands. Thus, I am curious as to why a decision by the Catholic archbishop of Portland has created such a ruckus. Could it be because of the ultra gay-friendly ethos of the area?
The Oregonian’s headline made it clear where the editors stand on this: “Portland-area Catholic schools are at a crossroads over transgender, nonbinary student rights.”
Hundreds of Portland area families whose children attend Catholic schools are protesting western Oregon Archbishop Alexander Sample’s guidance that schools under the church’s umbrella not recognize transgender and nonbinary students’ pronouns and identities.
Sample quietly released the 17-page document in January, when it was billed as a “teaching and formation resource” and not a mandate for the 41 archdiocesan schools, which stretch from Portland to Medford and include Central Catholic High School and 15 K-8 schools in Portland.
Nowhere in the rest of the piece is the statistic of “hundreds” of families supported, although I read elsewhere that more than 1,000 people signed a petition opposing the archbishop.
The news of Catholic resistance to Sample’s doctrinal stance was broken in the middle of Pride Month — a true insult in left-left Portland. (Note: I attended college there, had my first newspaper job in the Portland suburbs, have friends and family there and I swoop through town at least once or twice a year, so I have more than a glancing knowledge of the culture.)
But as the school year drew to a close, teachers and families around the metro area said some schools, including St. Rose School in Northeast Portland, began to treat the recommendations as requirements, including asking faculty members to pledge that they would uphold them. Rumors began to fly that more schools would be required to follow suit by next school year and that teachers who left as a result would not be welcome at other schools in the system.
Now it’s true the archbishop was going for broke by firing both the superintendent and assistant superintendent of his school system, so one could surmise that both people disagreed with the archbishop’s new strictures.
Also, note the requirement that school leaders would be required to honor this doctrinal stance. Question: Is this a requirement for some kind of doctrinal covenant? Is that new or have such documents already been in place?
At St. Rose School, a K-8 which experienced a boom in enrollment during the pandemic as families sought out schools that were open for full day in–person learning, at least three faculty members refused to sign off on the archdiocese’s guidance and their contracts were rescinded, according to an educator there who requested anonymity because they are seeking alternative employment within the Catholic school system.
Do read the whole thing, as a number of people have quit over this. An earlier Oregonian story set out what the recommendations are:
* Pronouns used at school must match biological sex.
* Schools should not have all-gender bathrooms beyond single-use facilities.
* Sports and extracurriculars “should be based on biological sex, rather than self-perceived gender.”
* Students who wear uniforms must follow the “code that accords with his or her biological sex.”
* “Catholic institutions should not post signage or display symbols in support of gender identity theory….”
Just months after Sample became archbishop in June 2013, he told St. Andrew’s, a long-standing LGBTQ-welcoming parish, that they were prohibited from attending a Pride parade as a community. This order was not heeded by the priest and parishioners, who attended the event anyway.
So, Sample has been in office 10 years. He obviously held legitimate orthodox Catholic views closer to his chest for several years, but is making them very clear this year. Why are people so shocked that he is finally doing so? Has it been only the gay-friendly outlets that understood him?…
From GetReligion.org
If the Bishops are not getting love from the media they must be doing something right.
Way too gossipy.
Libs aren’t used to anyone fighting back for fear of being called a hater. The Church, in her full armor, must stand up to evil, regardless of consequence.
A bishop actually behaving like a bishop?! That ought to be shocking to anybody…not just “liberals”.
Apparently the Archbishop has given up any hope of being named a cardinal under you-know-who . . .
A Priest who attends anyway……….very disobedient to his Bishop…..
The problem is that there are people claiming to have Catholic faith or who work for the Catholic church who don’t really have Catholic faith. Apparently even the superintendent of schools wasn’t a person of Catholic faith. When such people are expected to adhere to Catholic faith and maintain standards of Catholic faith, they object because they don’t have Catholic faith and don’t want to teach, support, nor live in accord with Catholic faith.
I ate at an Indian restaurant last week where beef wasn’t on the menu. That’s because beef isn’t an Indian dish. If an Indian restaurant franchise started including beef on the menu against the orders of headquarters, headquarters would be entirely right to tell that franchise to act in accord with Indian traditions and corporate policy and remove beef from the menu. If the franchise workers didn’t comply, headquarters would be right to fire them.
It’s the same in Catholic schools. Fire those who will not support Catholic faith. Anti-Catholics or subversive Catholics have had it easy in Catholic schools for decades, misleading and misinforming millions of children, and they still have it easy in dioceses such as San Jose, CA. But times are changing, and some bishops are finally developing courage and a spine.
the template is here for Bishop Barber to use in Oakland. Fr Illo made a quick painful correction in his parish and brought healing of the body whole
Even some Catholics seem shocked when some Catholic bishops act like, well, bishops.
Liberals should be shocked because they are the cause of most of the problems.
I agree with the Archbishop and the 5 starred recommendations. Christ never approved of sinful behavior or encouraged acceptance of it.
I know being LBGTQ+ is hard, but more needs to be said about how to move closer to Christ in proper ways.
From the original article:
“The statements from the archbishop reveal an increasing gap between the cleric and the communities which he oversees. In the queer enclave of Portland, Catholic churches and schools have pushed for greater LGBTQ+ inclusion for decades before Sample was installed.” and
“In Portland, Sample is a fish out of water. Many of the school administrations he oversees have progressive views on sexual orientation, gender fluidity and abortion, and have student-led “ally clubs” matching the liberal leanings of their communities.”
The liberal parts of the state are going to cause the Abp. a lot of trouble, IMHO. Catholic schools there will struggle to find teachers and administrators, students and parents on board with the Abp. after decades of indoctrination into the importance of LGBTQ+ rights. On the plus side Sample’s 5 points are sane, common sense and affect only the transgender/binary population. Perhaps by these recommendations parents and students will come to their senses and reject the trans craze; it is the administrators/ teachers I worry about. I suspect if they have been drinking the trans Kool-aid long enough they will do everything they can do subvert the Abp. ‘s wishes while appearing to agree with him. But I live in Pasadena, far removed from Oregon. Someone from Oregon would be better positioned to speak on this matter.
A similar dissident movement is gaining steam leading up to the synod on the topic of women deacons. Discerning Deacons is trying to encourage parishes to celebrate women and “discern” their greater participation in the church on the weekend of September 3 and for the whole month of September.
If the church approves ordaining women as deacons, I’ll leave. If the church approves gay sex and gay unions, I’ll leave. If the church continues to be ambiguous in its teaching under Francis and Tucho about any of those things to the point where people continue to think that any of them are possibilities, I’ll wonder why God has abandoned his church but I’ll still go to Mass and endure the bad preaching and bad music.
The synod had better clarify the truth and quash errors. It’s dangerous to give error hope.
Don’t hold your breath — this synod is likely to endorse and spread even more error.
But please don’t leave — resist!!
Hold fast to Christ and His one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church.
We are under no obligation to obey any bishop or Pope who contradicts the Church’s bi-millennial Tradition.
We have a duty, however, to spiritually defend ourselves from wolves disguised as shepherds.
Change parishes if necessary to stay true to Christ.
Gird your loins … and pray.
God’s providence CCC 302-314.
“If the church approves ordaining women as deacons, I’ll leave.” As I understand it, female deacons had different roles from their male counterpart in the early church. At least I’ve read as much. Whether this is true, or even relevant, is another matter. But I would not leave on this account. I cannot envision the Church approving gay sex–this would dislodge Casti Connubii, Humanae Vitae and everything else the Church has ever taught on sex and marriage, and would forever ruin the Church’s teaching authority.
“The only good mortal sin is the one I commit”, right?