Bravo, Damian Thompson!

To which mast are you going to nail your flag?

Damian Thompson has done a good piece on the LGBT Masses at Warwick Street, Soho. It is interesting, whenever his comments box is flagging and news is not particularly, 'hot', if he does a piece on homosexuality and the Church he easily gets past 200 comments.

Clearly, the Masses, even on Holy Smoke, where one would expect to find a chorus of conservative disapproval and murmuring of reactionaries saying, 'Bloody queers!' under their breath, there are some in the lion's den defending the Masses.

According to Damian at Holy Smoke, this is an official ministry of the Diocese of Westminster. Let me quote from the press release:

'After the Mass, there will be a cutting of a specially made rainbow-coloured cake.

This lively community also includes a younger adults group and enables all who take part in the Masses various ways to grow in their faith and integrate this with their sexual orientation.

The 1st and 3rd Sunday celebrations offer a model of the kind of inclusive, welcoming community the Church aims to be.

"This is no holy-huddle or gay ghetto! We aim to be the kind of community pictured in the Church's earliest history, truly Catholic and universal, in welcoming a great richness of God's rainbow people where people of all sorts of background are welcomed. The difference is that our LGBT reality is recognised and named" the SMPC's Chairperson, Joe Stanley said.'

Let's be clear. These Masses are indefensible...perfectly patronising, childish and most important, divisive, rather than inclusive. I mean, can you imagine after Mass, when they go to the pub or have a coffee in the Presbytery, the conversation.

"Why are you here mate?"

"I'm here because I am a homosexual"

"Why did you come to Mass tonight?"

"Because I'm a lesbian."

"What about you?"

"Because I'm a transgendered."

"And you?"

"Because I, am a bisexual."

"Really? Crikey! Did anyone here come to Mass because they are Catholics!? Also, if this Mass is so inclusive, why can't I see any straight people here!?"

That's one good reason Brighton's 'Gay Scene' is so naff...It's full of men...largely only men...what's friendly and inclusive about that? Like, what about the other half of humanity! Holy Mother Church is Universal and inclusive. We don't have to go about shouting about how inclusive we are and how every kind of person and every kind of sinner is to be found in the pews. That is the reality. The Church preaches Salvation to all. The message of Salvation is not specific to any particular 'community'. The Church doesn't need to say, '...here is a special salvation for the gays, the bi's, the transgendered and the lesbians.' The Church is not the local town Council. We don't need equal opportunities!