The New Homophiles insist that God made them gay, though the Church does not teach that. They insist that they have special gifts given to them through their same-sex attraction. That is certainly not in Church teaching. And they want Church teaching to reflect these assertions, which would amount to a change in Church teaching. The apostolate Courage and the people in it make no such assertions. The apostolate Courage rejects the “gay identity.” They accept the simple moniker “children of God,” no more, no less.

There is a group of Catholics who experience same-sex attraction. They accept the teachings of the Church on sexual morality. They do not act on their same-sex desires. They are chaste. They live lives of prayer, brotherhood and friendship, along with a sexual chastity that is proper to their station in life.

You might think that I would loathe these people, hate them, despise them, and want to drive them from the Church. You might think that their desires alone are enough for me to want them to simply disappear from the Church and from society

You might think this if you read Damon Linker on my recent column about the New Homophiles. You might think so if you read the comments of blogger Mark Shea, who said my column was “appalling” and much worse. You might think so if you read the comments by Maggie Gallagher who said my column was “vile.”

But the thing is, I have never written a cross or even critical word about the men and women I describe above. These are men and women of the Catholic apostolate Courage.

This Church-approved apostolate is filled with heroic men and women working hard to live according to Catholic teaching. I celebrate them without reservation. There should be Courage chapters in every diocese in the world.

So, what’s the difference between the New Homophiles and Courage? First, I do not consider the New Homophiles as “enemies or fifth columnists or half-breeds” as Mark Shea said. I consider them brothers and sisters in Christ who should be embraced but whose ideas ought to be resisted. I have said the New Homophiles are 95 percent there in terms of Church teaching and that the last 5 percent is surely problematic.

Understand that the “5 percent” that is problematic refers in no way to sinful temptations. We all have those and we are called upon to resist them, though most of us do not expect huzzahs for doing so.

The “5 percent” refers to certain propositions they espouse that are at odds with the Church. Holding these propositions are not damnable any more than holding the narrowest understanding of “no salvation outside the Church” damns anyone. The “5 percent” remain a problem, however.

This group insists on their gay identity, indeed they put a spot light on it. That’s kind of the point of their movement. WE ARE GAY AND CATHOLIC. Some of them go even further and insist on calling themselves “queer.” The Church teaches there is no “gay identity.” We are children of God—first, last and always, and the Church frowns on anything else.

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