has been enlightening

Expresso, the weekly newspaper that has been enlightening Portuguese people for more than a generation, is running big headlines about a 2003 story of a young priest, named Manuel Vieira, who tried to set up some sort of a gay mouvement within the Church in Évora, Alentejo. (see Rumos Novos)

In a full page article this week titled "Padre afastado por críticas a Ratzinger" Expresso writes that "Manuel Vieira atacou a tese do Vaticano sobre a homossexualidade. Foi forçado a sair do Alentejo e enviado para Espanha". According to Expresso, "No Outono de 2004 (...) o padre alentejano ingressou na Universidade de Salamanca, onde prepara um doutoramento em Psicologia". Expresso explains: "o envio do jovem sacerdote para o estrangeiro foi a condição acordada para evitar a expulsão (...)".

What was the priest's sin, according to Expresso? "No início de Agosto [2003], quando o director do jornal [A Defesa] se encontrava de férias, Vieira escreveu um artigo ("Permitam-me discordar") no qual contesta, quase ponto por ponto, as "Considerações sobre os projectos de reconhecimento legal das uniões homossexuais". Trata-se de um documento, datado de (...) três meses [antes], da Congregação para a Doutrina da Fé, que tinha como prefeito o cardeal alemão Joseph Ratzinger, hoje Papa Bento XVI".

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The article by Expresso tries to make a connection between the young priest and the Pope. Now, do you really believe that Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Ratzinger, had even the smallest hint about the existence of this thirty-two year old priest from Évora, Alentejo, Portugal, called Manuel Vieira? I don't think so. Actually the article by the priest is so poorly argued that Cardinal Ratzinger, who is a professional, academic philosopher, would not have spent more than twenty seconds at it.

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I can readily believe, though, that the Portuguese hierarchy of the Church would have considered at the time that priest Vieira was in need of some fresh air and sent him to Salamanca. There he could reflect on the issue that the Church is not the Portuguese ministry of education or a secular, democratic public school where all opinions are accepted and received with equal value.

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On the contrary, the Church owes its existence and survival to a centuries old, rational, pro-life doctrine which, while remaining open to criticism and revision, must be held with discipline and conviction. Thus, the Church can never approve gay sex, because it is not a pro-life behaviour, nor gay marriage, because it is not a pro-life institution. Actually, gay sex is a behaviour which, if turned into a principle, would lead to the extinction of humanity. Apart from these restrictions, the doctrine of the Church regarding homossexuality is one of tolerance and inclusiveness (cf. Cat.: 2357-59).

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Two final notes. First, the above story dating from 2003 and published at a moment when the Government is involved in a confrontation with the Church, means that Expresso continues to provide us with extremely fresh news. Second, you might have noticed that, as an alternative to expulsion, the Church sent priest Vieira for a doctorate in Spain, all expenses paid. Not bad, hein?