How Cardinal Burke welcomed home a gay activist
Former homosexual activist Eric Hess, writing three years ago in Celebrate Life magazine, broke with several cherished dogmas of militant homosexuality in recounting how he returned like the Prodigal Son and found a warm welcome from the man he once spurned.
In 1995, after four years of trying to combine sporadic Catholic worship with fulltime homosexual cohabitation, Hess gave up, and melodramatically “boxed up all my crucifixes and Bibles and dropped them off at the office of the bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin with a letter renouncing the Catholic faith.”
To Hess’ surprise and chagrin, Bishop Burke responded kindly, saying he respected Hess’ decision but would pray for his return. A self-described “gay activist,” Hess was outraged at the bishop’s “arrogance,” and wrote back to accuse him of harassment and instruct him to never write again.
But Bishop Burke did write again, one last, kind letter, promising to obey Hess’ dictate, but also promising, “if I should want to reconcile with the Church, he would welcome me back with open arms.”
Three years later, after a short but intense period of prayer and discernment led by a parish priest, he returned to the Church.
Hess describes the wonderful welcome he received. His parish priest heard his confession and found him a Catholic family to live with until he could find a new apartment. As for Bishop Burke, when Hess called at his office to reconcile, “he embraced me.” Bishop Burke had kept the package of Catholic objects, in the belief that Hess would return, and now he gave them back.
Some “apostate” priests (mostly in their 50s and 60s) still try to convince Hess, even from within the Confessional, that God wanted him to reactivate his homosexuality. These men were not helping him, he writes. “As someone who suffered in the state of mortal sin for many years, I assure you that there is no happiness outside of the moral order.”
“While some malign Archbishop Burke for his fidelity to God, Church and all souls, I say that he is a true shepherd of the faithful and a present day Athanasius,” Hess wrote.
“I tell you that he remains a mentor and an inspiration to me. Although my own biological father rejected me, Archbishop Burke became my spiritual father by lovingly representing our Father in heaven.”
www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/how-cardinal-bu…
In 1995, after four years of trying to combine sporadic Catholic worship with fulltime homosexual cohabitation, Hess gave up, and melodramatically “boxed up all my crucifixes and Bibles and dropped them off at the office of the bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin with a letter renouncing the Catholic faith.”
To Hess’ surprise and chagrin, Bishop Burke responded kindly, saying he respected Hess’ decision but would pray for his return. A self-described “gay activist,” Hess was outraged at the bishop’s “arrogance,” and wrote back to accuse him of harassment and instruct him to never write again.
But Bishop Burke did write again, one last, kind letter, promising to obey Hess’ dictate, but also promising, “if I should want to reconcile with the Church, he would welcome me back with open arms.”
Three years later, after a short but intense period of prayer and discernment led by a parish priest, he returned to the Church.
Hess describes the wonderful welcome he received. His parish priest heard his confession and found him a Catholic family to live with until he could find a new apartment. As for Bishop Burke, when Hess called at his office to reconcile, “he embraced me.” Bishop Burke had kept the package of Catholic objects, in the belief that Hess would return, and now he gave them back.
Some “apostate” priests (mostly in their 50s and 60s) still try to convince Hess, even from within the Confessional, that God wanted him to reactivate his homosexuality. These men were not helping him, he writes. “As someone who suffered in the state of mortal sin for many years, I assure you that there is no happiness outside of the moral order.”
“While some malign Archbishop Burke for his fidelity to God, Church and all souls, I say that he is a true shepherd of the faithful and a present day Athanasius,” Hess wrote.
“I tell you that he remains a mentor and an inspiration to me. Although my own biological father rejected me, Archbishop Burke became my spiritual father by lovingly representing our Father in heaven.”
www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/how-cardinal-bu…
