Courageous Priest

Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s President-Elect Was Refused the Nomination After Questions About His Open Dissent Concerning His Living Relationship

By Jesse Bogan and Tim Townsend, St. Louis Post Dispatch (edited for length)- A board member of a Catholic nonprofit organization who was told he could not become board president because he is gay is trying to rally support to modify the group’s rules.

Jeffrey Goldone, who has been a vice president on the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of St. Louis board of directors for five years, was nominated for president in May. He accepted the nomination but was dropped from the running several weeks later.

“I was told that I could not run for president because my living relationship goes against Catholic moral teaching,” which could bring ’shame and embarrassment” to the society, Goldone wrote in a Aug. 2 letter addressed to “fellow Vincentians.”

Goldone has been in a relationship with his partner for 20 years.

“We are truly blessed by God to have each other and to have Jesus Christ in our lives. How could we be the source of ’shame and embarrassment?’ ” he wrote.

“We believe that active gay men and women bring a multitude of talents and abilities to our society that are to be shared with all, especially those who are in need,” Goldone states.

The petition quotes the rules as saying, “Vincentians oppose discrimination of all kinds and work to change the attitudes of those who view the weak or those who are different with prejudice, fear or scorn, attitudes which gravely wound the dignity of others.”

On the other hand, a section of the rules states that the “Society recognizes the right and duty of the diocesan bishop to confirm that none of its activities is contrary to Catholic faith or morals.”

Goldone, when contacted by the Post-Dispatch, said the rules are “in conflict with each other, and I want them to be within agreement of each other.”

Goldone took his concerns to Carlson and met with him.

Archbishop Robert Carlson

Ronald Guz, the outgoing board president, said the organization didn’t make the decision, but rather “the Catholic church did” in its teachings.

Archbishop Carlson, in a statement to the Post-Dispatch, said: “The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has a regulation that members running for president live a life according to church teaching. I clarified what church teaching is in the matter of homosexuality.”

The catechism of the Roman Catholic Church labels homosexual acts as “acts of grave depravity” and “intrinsically disordered” because they “close the sexual act to the gift of life.”

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of St. Louis is part of a lay organization that spans 140 countries. Its national headquarters is in St. Louis. The organization is affiliated with the Congregation of the Mission, a Catholic order founded by St. Vincent de Paul and commonly called the Vincentians.

Goldstone points out that he has volunteered countless hours and helped raise money for the last several years. His petition argues that it is “inexcusable” that he was allowed to serve as vice president and in other roles, yet be denied the chance to serve as board president because of his lifestyle.

“If the organization is truly a Christian organization, it must not discriminate against anyone,” the petition says.

Can you please take a second and leave a comment?  Did Archbishop Carlson do the right thing?

The Fifth Commandment Demands Otherwise.

Archbshop Robert Carlson-God’s law in the Old Testament is clear and unambiguous: You shall not kill. Jesus is even more demanding: Every one who is angry is liable to judgment.

Sins against the Fifth Commandment are easy to commit. Any time we think, speak or act out of anger or hatred or jealousy or revenge, we abuse God’s commandment that we respect His most precious gift, the gift of life — especially human life.

Human life is sacred because, from its beginning until its natural end, it involves the creative action of God. The Fifth Commandment forbids direct and intentional killing as gravely sinful. God alone is the Lord of life. No one has the right to end arbitrarily what God has begun, and sustained, through the gift of His love.

In the account of Abel’s murder by Cain (Genesis 4:8-12), Scripture reveals the presence of anger and envy in humankind, consequences of original sin, from the beginning of recorded history. God declares this as wicked, and He asks the question to be answered over the ages: “What have you done?” Today this question is asked not only of those who kill someone, but also of those responsible for violence, anger, hatred and vengeance in any form.

It is a shame that there are so many violent words expressed between members of the same family day in and day out. Anger and intolerance are also pervasive in our Church and in society. Such attitudes are destructive and sinful. They are of the Evil One and not of God.

The Fifth Commandment does not stop someone from self defense, because someone who defends his or her own life is not guilty of murder. Legitimate defense can be not only a right but also a grave duty for someone responsible for another’s life, the common good of the family or the security of a nation. We risk our lives to protect ourselves and others because we value human life and freedom so dearly. They are gifts from God that we are bound to cherish and defend.

Since the first century, the Church has addressed the moral evil of abortion and the killing of a defenseless baby in the womb. People who are casual about the sin of abortion and who choose to view it as a political issue rather than the serious moral issue that it is are guilty of violating the Fifth Commandment. You cannot be “pro-choice” (pro-abortion) and remain a Catholic in good standing. That’s why the Church asks those who maintain this position not to receive holy Communion. We are not being mean or judgmental, we are simply acknowledging the fact that such a stance is objectively and seriously sinful and is radically inconsistent with the Christian way of life.

The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council said, “God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and human life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: Abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes” (“Gaudium et Spes,” No. 51.3). That’s why formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life (see canons 1398,1314, and 1323-1324).

The Fifth Commandment also directs us to work for justice and peace — avoiding war whenever possible — and to limit the use of capital punishment to the most extreme (and rare) circumstances required to protect human life. Only God has the right to take the life of another human being. When we take that action into our own hands — in self-defense or in defense of others — we had better be sure that all other options have been exhausted!

In addition, euthanasia or deliberately taking of the life of someone who is sick, dying, disabled or mentally ill is morally unacceptable. The Church calls for the ordinary care owed to a sick person, but medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous or extraordinary are not necessary. If you are unsure about the moral implications of health care procedures that are being proposed for someone you love, contact your pastor or the archdiocese’s Respect Life Apostolate. They will be happy to help you consider approaches that are in accordance with our Church’s teaching about care for those who are sick or dying.

Taking proper care of our health, respecting others and showing respect for the dead are all matters covered by the Fifth Commandment’s demand that we reverence God’s most precious gift — human life.