Fr. Euteneuer Responds to Jesuit Who 'Came Out' at Campus Mass

by Staff
November 13, 2007

FRONT ROYAL,Virginia, (christiansunite.com) -- The Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, STL, president of Human Life International, (HLI) today published an "open letter" to Father Thomas J. Brennan, SJ, who declared that he was a homosexual during a student Mass, admitting that it was one of "the worst kept secrets" on campus.

Father Euteneuer's response, "Homosexual Jesuit Needs Refresher Course in Priestly Love" was published in his weekly email newsletter, Spirit & Life, available Thursday after 3:00 PM EST on the HLI website (http://www.hli.org). The letter called for Brennan to apologize to his congregation.

Father Euteneuer said, "There is something just plain wrong about abusing people's trust in the priesthood in such a public way, and since you chose to 'go public' with this matter, a public response to your outrageous 'outing' is merited."

"First of all," Father Euteneuer said, "Holy Mass is not a forum for your self-expression. You chose the sacred liturgy and the pulpit reserved for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the launching pad for your personal testament to homosexuality ... You've read the same documents I've read about the liturgy, and none of them say the liturgy is your personal stage."

He continued, "[Celibacy] is a form of Christian chastity to which you and I are called, and I trust that you are faithful to it. ... A heterosexual celibate renounces his natural desire for wife and children in order to embrace the Bride of Christ in a direct spousal relationship. A homosexual celibate renounces an unholy desire for members of the same sex: that is a renunciation of a disorder, not the embrace of a Bride.

"When even a celibate priest chooses to go public about his homosexual identity as an expression of 'diversity' or 'pride', the faithful are rightfully confused and scandalized. Not only do you owe them an apology, you owe them a better example of priesthood. They deserve a priest who is clear about the Church's doctrine about homosexual acts and who teaches it unambiguously. ... If you do not clearly witness the Church's teaching about your own vocation, how can you teach others to be faithful to theirs?"