Use of Church Facilities by Homosexual Groups ... Homophile groups even believe that they have the right to use Church facilities to denounce and undermine the teachings of that same Church.
On October 1, 1987, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a letter entitled “On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons.” This letter reaffirmed the Vatican’s Declaration on Sexual Ethics by reiterating that homosexuality is “intrinsically disordered.”
With regard to use of Church facilities, the letter asserted:
All support should be withdrawn from any organizations which seek to undermine the teaching of the Church, which are ambiguous about it, or which neglect it entirely. Such support, or even the semblance of such support, can be gravely misinterpreted. Special attention should be given to the practice of scheduling religious services and to the use of Church buildings by these groups, including the facilities of Catholic schools and colleges. To some, such permission to use Church property may seem only just and charitable; but in reality it is contradictory to the purpose for which these institutions were founded, and it is misleading and often scandalous [¶17].
Thus, to prevent the appearance of supporting homosexual groups, churches should avoid lending them facilities or providing any other form of support.
In 1986, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, then-led by Cardinal Ratzinger, issued a document instructing bishops on the pastoral care of people with same-sex attraction Therein, the congregation admonished bishops to ensure they are “clearly stating that homosexual activity is immoral.” The instruction adds, “But we wish to make it clear that departure from the Church's teaching, or silence about it, in an effort to provide pastoral care is neither caring nor pastoral. Only what is true can ultimately be pastoral. The neglect of the Church's position prevents men and women (who struggles with same-sex attraction) from receiving the care they need and deserve.”
