(LifeSiteNews) — San Diego auxiliary Bishop Ramón Bejarano apologized in a sermon to a congregation of “LGBT Catholics” for the purported “pain and distress” the Church has caused them, according to the heterodox publication New Ways Ministry.
Bejarano, who was the main celebrant of the July 14 pro-LGBT “All Are Welcome Mass” hosted by St. John the Evangelist’s LGBTQ Ministry, was joined by seven priests and two deacons from neighboring parishes. When it came time for the sermon, Bejarano apologized on purported behalf of the Catholic Church to those who consider themselves “LGBTQ.”
“I apologize for the pain and distress that I and the Church have caused to many of you. I apologize for the stigmatization and trauma we have caused to others because we have told them that they are not valued and that they are not worthy of the love of God. There are many others out there who feel rejected and unvalued,” Bejarano said.
“Like Jesus, who in today’s Gospel sent the Twelve for mission, so Jesus sends us home where we get welcomed. But before we get welcomed, we must also welcome. The members of the Church many times have not welcomed the homeless, the prisoner, the immigrant, the mentally ill, the LGBTQ, the one who speaks a different language or has a different skin color. We fall in the danger of seeing them as ‘they’ and ‘us.’ The Church is a welcoming body for everyone who wants to get closer to Jesus. In this body, there is only ‘us,’” he added.
Bejarano notably omitted any mention in his sermon of the Catholic Church’s teaching on homosexual activity. The Catholic Church has always taught, in accordance with Sacred Scripture and Tradition, that homosexual activity is intrinsically disordered and gravely sinful. Bejarano also failed to mention that the Church has never taught that those with homosexual inclinations are themselves unloved by God, and that any such assertion would be contrary to Catholic teaching.
The pro-LGBT display also included prayers for homosexuals and the parents of so-called LGBT children. Two of these petitions read in part:
May those in the LGBTQ community know God loves them for who they are, and they are welcomed in our communities of faith. May those who have felt unwelcomed in the past be embraced in our faith community today.
For parents who have a gay, lesbian, or transgender child, may you gain strength in knowing that your child is fashioned, as all are fashioned by God, with being with purpose and wonder. May you be reassured that you are not alone and that those in our faith communities are here to support you on your journey.
Bejarano concluded with a blessing for the attendees that focused on “embracing our LGBTQ siblings.” It continued the theme of welcoming everyone while taking a swipe at faithful Catholics who maintain the Church’s teaching on same-sex relations.
Help us to embrace that each of our beloved LGBTQ siblings, and everyone who is or feels marginalized by your Church, are beautifully and wonderfully made, all in Your image. Teach us to love ourselves as You love us, so we may, in turn, love all people just as they are and embrace their identity fully, as You have embraced us. We pray for our Church that we may respond to the spirit’s call to welcome all. We pray that the Holy Spirit will bring us to reconciliation, healing wounds, and bridging the gaps that divide us. Please protect us all from those that wish to harm us. May the hearts of those who fear and condemn be changed. Bless our LGBTQ ministry, that we will continue to grow by Your grace and bring all people to the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ.
This was not the first time St. John’s has celebrated an “LGBT Mass”; they also did so in 2017 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the USCCB’s 1997 Always Our Children document, according to New Ways Ministry, which underscored the “importance” of parents accepting their children with same-sex attraction. The parish’s LGBTQ Ministry has special monthly services and potlucks for LGBT parishioners, according to their webpage, which is loaded with “Pride” and rainbow imagery.
A spokesperson for the parish’s LGBTQ Ministry, in an email to LifeSiteNews, defended the ministry and said their work, including the recent events, do not contradict Church teaching. They said using the term “Pride” on their webpage simply refers to their community’s pride in their dignity as people, the same way people take pride in their country. They also said it was “unjust” both to presume that anyone who identifies as LGBT is living in sin and for Catholics to protest LGBT outreach.
“It is unjust discrimination and completely without respect, compassion, and sensitivity to presume LGBTQ are living in sin, and especially insensitive to protest outreach to the LGBTQ person. Therefore, the resistance to LGBTQ outreach is not only antithetical to the mission of the Church, it is blatantly against Church teaching,” the spokesperson said. “If the body of Christ wants to end division and hopes to have any understanding of each other, it is important to listen to each other and to treat each other with respect, compassion, and sensitivity,” they added.
While it is true that not all those with homosexual inclinations act on them, and that all people are called to be Catholic, the Church has maintained that a necessary aspect of true pastoral care is clearly proclaiming and upholding the Church’s teaching on matters of faith and morals to lead souls to repentance.
After the Vatican released Fiducia Supplicans, which allowed for the blessing of same-sex “couples” last December, the leaders of St. John’s LGBTQ ministry expressed their approval to a local San Diego news outlet. One ministry leader seemed to indicate that many homosexual “couples” attend St. John’s. “We have a lot of committed Catholic couples here that are LGBT, that have been in relationships for quite a while,” they said. “Myself, I’ve been in a committed relationship for 40 years now and married for 10, so this is something that is really welcomed news,” they added.
The “All Are Welcome Mass” was co-sponsored by the parishes of St. Thomas More, St. Catherine Labouré, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Joseph Cathedral, St. Francis of Assisi, and Saint Brigid, all of which have their own LGBTQ ministries and appear on New Ways Ministries list of LGBTQ-friendly parishes. The pro-LGBT service also had the full support of heterodox Cardinal Robert McElroy and the Diocese of San Diego.
Responding to a request for comment, Fr. Brian Hayes, the pastor of St. Catherine Laboure, told LifeSite in an email, “I have occasionally mentioned such things as LGBT ministry in my homilies, but in doing so, I also remind people of the Church’s teaching on marriage as between a man and a woman and the call for all people to live chastely according to their state in life,” Fr. Hayes also noted that he attended the LGBT Mass.
The Diocese of San Diego and the other co-sponsoring parishes have not responded to LifeSiteNews’s requests for comment as of publication time.
This article was updated at 1:20 p.m. ET.