Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Issues - Pastoral Guidelines For Ministry to

Typical Pastoral Guidelines For Ministry to humans   This essay takes a ordinary Catholic parish and presents the guidelines used by this parish in the treatment of gay/les types. The guidelines illustrate the welcoming attitude of this church toward gays.   The guidelines are hoidenish in character, mean to help priests and parish ministers meet their obligation to serve kindly and conscientiously both who turn to the Church with real needs and honest hope. They do non presume any particular social or psychological depth psychology of sexuality in our society, except for a generally accepted come before that individuals do choose and can change their sexual orientation and must(prenominal) understand it and integrate it into their life of faith and conscience.   The guidelines accept, without elaborating, the perennial training of the Catholic Church on sexual morality, conscience, and personal sin. Deeper probing of the ground of this teaching and the contemp orary challenges to it must be left to the educational efforts proposed in these guidelines.   The guidelines in like manner accept the teaching of the Catholic Church on social ethical motive but do not propose a social bodily process agenda. When the voice or action of the Church is needed in the spiritual or secular forum, appropriate agents of the parish and diocese will be cognizant and enlisted to uphold basic human and civil rights against social or jural discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or violence.   The guidelines do not resolve the dilemma surrounding terminology. Homosexual seems clear and objective but has come to be regarded by some(a) as too clinical and impersonal, with unwarranted implications of pathology, inferiority, or alienation. Gay and l... ...ll build its own organization and procedures to address its principal tasks (a) to inform and advise the bishop on all aspects of this ministry (b) to enlist the interest and cooperation of dioc esan agencies in implementing these guidelines (c) to recommend, promote, or provide, in consultation with these agencies, programs of education and information.   The Pastoral Resource Committee will on a regular basis evaluate and recommend publications to support these education programs or the personal acquire resources for pastoral ministers.   The Pastoral Resource Committee will evaluate, in agree with these guidelines, organizations to be served, consulted, or enlisted in this ministry.   There we have it - a pastoral approach to gay/les members.  WORKS CITED  To Live in Christ Jesus, 1976 US Conference of Catholic Bishops