Mark Silk struggles to understand Timothy Dolan

I was reviewing some of the other articles that Mark Silk wrote on his RNS Blog site. 

 

So, I decided to post the following comment on Mark's blog from July 31st, entitled, Dolan Disses the Papacy.

 

Similar to Mark writing about Jesus when he isn’t a Christian, he can also write about people who are Christians who experience same-sex sexual attractions who desire to follow Catholic teaching on sexuality, and thus feel it wouldn’t be honest for them to say that their identity is gay.   

However, because of Mark’s vantage point, which is not the same vantage point as even the person who is a Catholic priest, who does experience some level of same-sex sexual attractions, who has made the decision to be celibate chaste in their position as a priest, it is harder for him to understand and to write accurately about what Timothy Dolan is speaking about. 

Thus, the phrase that Mark uses, “basically banning gays from becoming priests,” shows
that Mark has trouble understanding the difference between someone who would say that they are bisexual and someone who would say that they are gay.  There are Catholic priests who are bisexual, who choose to be celibate chaste, when the majority of their sexual attractions are towards women.  Our culture would want those individuals to also say that they are gay. 

It would be difficult for someone like Mark to understand the phrase, “deep-seated homosexual tendencies” from a Catholic perspective. 

I appreciated Scott Richert’s explanation of Pope Pius XII’s declaration of the Assumption of the Virgin, even though I am not someone who understands it.  I could see the logic that Scott explained that Pope Pius XII used in his reasoning. 

So, I can see how it is difficult for Mark Silk to understand what Pope Francis is trying to explain. 

I also posted this to one of the people commenting:

Mike Jones Aug 25, 2013 at 1:39 pm               

I’m glad that you asked these questions, “are there “shallower” homosexual tendencies that would not bar one from the priesthood? If so, are they to be diagnosed by seminary rectors?”  

Yes, for the person who is bisexual who is a Catholic priest, or today a man who is desiring to enter into Catholic seminary, they experience shallower homosexual tendencies than men who only experience same-sex sexual attractions.  

I agree that it is more challenging for seminary rectors to explore this with seminary candidates than exploring with them some of the other issues that would impact them in being successful in becoming a priest in the Catholic church and following Catholic church teaching.

 

I then read Mark Silk's post on him not being a Christian, entitled, Full Disclosure. 

 

The same commenter that I posted my above comment to, wrote this comment about this article by Mark:

 

Aug 3, 2013 at 12:27 pm

 

"Precisely why Mark Silk is so good at what he does is because he clearly recognizes what he is and what he isn’t. And he’s informed enough to intelligently encounter what he isn’t as well as what he is."

 

I guess I have a different take on things...