Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Bishop’s LGBTQ remark received national backlash
Staff /wire reports
YOUNGSTOWN
Officials of the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown were hesitant Monday to comment on a tweet sent Saturday by a former bishop of Youngstown urging Catholics to not support or attend LGBTQ Pride Month events.
The tweet by the Most Rev. Thomas Tobin, bishop of the six-county Diocese of Youngstown from 1996 to 2005, sparked a national backlash.
“A reminder that Catholics should not support or attend LGBTQ ‘Pride Month’ events held in June,” Bishop Tobin tweeted Saturday. “They promote a culture and encourage activities that are contrary to Catholic faith and morals. They are especially harmful for children.”
Tobin, a conservative bishop, later tried to walk back the comments by saying he didn’t mean to offend anyone, but he also defended the tweet.
Monsignor John Zuraw, chancellor of the Youngstown Diocese who served under Bishop Tobin as vicar for clergy, commended Bishop Tobin for his statement of regret.
“The difficulty in responding to Bishop Tobin’s tweet is not knowing what prompted him to send it,” Msgr. Zuraw said.
From the standpoint of the church, the basic starting point is that individuals must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity, Msgr. Zuraw noted.
“That is what Christ promoted,” he said.
“I only know that the church reminds us that we should not unjustly discriminate. The Catholic Church upholds the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman. We can disagree, but with respect. What we have to be very careful about is every sign of discrimination,” he said.
Those views mirror Pope Francis’ statement in 2013 about the sexual orientation of priests.
“We shouldn’t marginalize people for this. They must be integrated into society,” the pope told reporters. “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”
David Schmidt, head of the Youngstown Diocese office of pro-life, marriage and family life, agreed: “Whatever a person’s inclinations are, the church is open to them.”
“In general, our sexuality is a gift from God to both unitive and procreative,” Schmidt said. “The Catholic Church sees the proper use of sexuality as procreation and does not recognize marriage between two men or two women because procreation is not possible.
“We don’t know what causes same-sex attraction, but the Catholic Church would say they need to be treated with compassion and respect,” he added.
Bishop Tobin is facing criticism in his own diocese in Rhode Island.
The Rev. Edward L. Pieroni begged gay and lesbian parishioners not to leave the church during Sunday services at St. Raymond’s Roman Catholic Church in Providence, The Boston Globe reported.
“A lot of people have hung in there, but it’s like, ‘One more slap and we are done.’ I am here to beg you – and I will get on my hands and knees and beg you – not to leave,” Father Pieroni told the congregation.
More than 80,000 people had responded to the tweet by Monday morning. Some replied to support the bishop, while others invoked the scandals of sexual abuse of children by clergy members.
Actresses Mia Farrow and Patricia Arquette were among those who criticized Bishop Tobin.