To the Editor:
Three weeks ago, the Archdiocese of Boston ceased its involvement with the state of Massachusetts adoption agency…with regard to Catholic Charities ability to place children in same sex households, a violation of the state’s anti-discrimination policy. In a time where the Church speaks out against abortions and birth control for the purpose of preserving life, I can see no reason in the Church’s refusal to provide children who are most in need with a decent home with loving parents. As a result, I find myself in a deep struggle with my faith. My struggle is rooted in the Church’s refusal to accept gays and lesbians into our community. For the past 19 years I have been taught by the Church to love and respect all men and women just as God does. Yet, I question whether the Church is doing this. Is the Church loving and respecting all people with regards to its treatment toward gays and lesbians? Are the households of same sex couples all that different from those of heterosexual ones? The Catholic Church is doing a disservice to these children in its refusal to provide the love and care to these children who so desperately need it. Change is a very scary thing, but it is inevitable. As the future of the Catholic Church, we can be the agents of change. We can bring the Church into the light of enlightenment through our own actions, in our own love and respect towards gays and lesbians. In this time of Lent, a time of rebirth and self-examination, I call on, not only the leaders of the Catholic Church, but also its members who are the Church, to undergo its own rebirth, to sacrifice our own prejudices, just as Jesus Christ sacrificed his own life for us, and for the good of man.
Sincerely, James O’Brien ’09
Leave a Reply