Parish in Minnesota ordered to remove Gay Pride material from website

A Catholic church in Minneapolis known for its progressive stands on social issues has been ordered by the Vatican and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to remove Gay Pride material from its Web site and stop allowing unordained guests to speak during mass.

The order was delivered by two bishops in person two weeks ago to the pastor of St. Joan of Arc and again in a statement issued Wednesday.

This parish is known for its open dissent against the teaching of the Church regarding homosexuality:

St. Joan of Arc has a vibrant number of gay and lesbian partners with children. St. Joan of Arc's GLBT Families Group was initiated to meet this diverse group's needs.

The parish is now in emotional turmoil.

Parish administrator Peter Eichten said church members have met twice to discuss the order. Emotions at the meetings ranged from fear to anger, he said.

"We've really tried to avoid creating a we-versus-them type of situation," he said. "We've never felt that we've done anything contrary to the teachings of the church. We would not do that. We feel that the gospel demand is to be open and hospitable to all people, no matter who or what they are."

The church has run afoul of Catholic leaders in the past. [The pastor, Rev. George] Wertin said he met with the same two bishops more than a year ago over another dispute. In May 2003 the archdiocese rescinded an award of excellence that was to be given to religious educator Kathy Itzin at St. Joan's after Wertin was told that she was a lesbian.

"We are in the process of an in-depth self-examination that will help us get better in touch with our identity as a Catholic community that teaches us to promote justice, peace and inclusivity," he wrote.

Sounds like one particular parish here in St. Louis.

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