As we prepare for the fifth anniversary of the “Soho Masses” with a particular welcome to LGBT Catholics, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of  Westminster Diocese has confirmed in a press statement that this pastoral provision will continue. The Soho Masses Pastoral Council, which organises the Masses in collaboration with the parish priest, Monsignor Seamus O’Boyle, have welcomed this announcement, as do I personally (but then, full disclosure: I am myself a member of that SMPC).

 

Some people have consistently misrepresented the congregation and organisation of the Masses as being in conflict with Church teaching, and with the original Diocesan statement by Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor when they were launched five years ago. There have also been some recent malicious rumours that the Masses were to be shut down. Accordingly, I am reproducing here without delay, Archbishop Nichols’ statement in full and without comment (followed by the response by the SMPC).

The Most Rev Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, has reaffirmed the intention and purpose of the pastoral provision for Catholics of a same-sex orientation at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, Warwick Street, London W1.

In a statement issued on 28 February 2012 he said:

“As we approach the fifth anniversary of the establishment of a pastoral provision for Catholics of a same-sex orientation * at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, I would like reaffirm the intention and purpose of this outreach.”

“That intention and purpose were clearly set out in the statement issued by the Diocese of Westminster in 2007 when the provision was started under the guidance of Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor. This statement is set out below.” (Section A)

“Furthermore it is important to recall and study again the direction and guidance set out by Cardinal Hume in 1997. This document, too, is set out below.“ (Section B)

“In order to appreciate the intention and purpose of this provision a close reading of these two documents is required.”

“These documents outline three essential foundations: the dignity of all persons created by God, the moral principles concerning chastity and the Church’s teaching on sexual activity, and the pastoral care of Catholics who are of same-sex orientation. All who participate in the Mass are called to live the church’s teaching through an ongoing conversion of life.”

“At the present time consideration is being given to the circumstances in which these Masses are celebrated to ensure that their purpose is respected and that they are not occasions for confusion or opposition concerning the positive teaching of the Church on the meaning of human sexuality or the moral imperatives that flow from that teaching, which we uphold and towards which we all strive.”

*Note: The language used by the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other Church documents is the term ‘homosexual’. I am also conscious that the abbreviation LGBT is preferred by many as a collective identification. Whatever language is used, it is worth bearing in mind that the Church “refuses to consider the person as a ‘heterosexual’ or a ‘homosexual’ and insists that every person has a fundamental identity: the creature of God and, by grace, his child and heir to eternal life” (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons, par 16).

-Diocese of Westminster

Here is the response by the SMPC, also in full:

THE 5TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SOHO MASSES: 4 March 2007 – 4 March 2012.

The LGBT Catholic communities who attend Mass at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption & St. Gregory, welcome Archbishop Vincent Nichols’ statement to mark the 5th Anniversary of the establishment of this pastoral ministry to us at the Warwick Street church, in London’s Soho. The celebration of these Masses is part of the Church’s developing practice over many years, inspired by pastoral guidance from the Bishops’ Conference (CBCEW) and particularly Cardinal Hume’s reflections on these matters.

The Masses offer us a warm, joyful and inclusive occasion to share in communion with each other, with our families and friends, and with the whole Church, secure in the knowledge that we, too, have our place at the Lord’s table.
Increasing numbers of LGBT Catholics who had been estranged from the Church have been restored to communion through the Archdiocese’s courageous witness to the dignity of all people.
We also express our gratitude to the many clergy and lay people of the Archdiocese, and others, who support and sustain this ministry.

The Masses take place on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of every month.

The 5th anniversary Mass takes place at 17.00, Sunday 4 March 2012, in the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption & St. Gregory, Warwick Street, Soho, London W1B 5NB.

Related articles

• Soho Masses - Supporting Church Teaching. (queeringthechurch.com)
• “O Come, ALL Ye Faithful”: Church of the Assumption and Saint Gregory. (queeringthechurch.com)
• Gay Marriage, and the English Catholic Church: More Sanity From Vincent Nichols (queeringthechurch.com)
• England’s Leading Catholic Archbishop Again Strikes a Moderate Note (newwaysministryblog.wordpress.com)
• Give Thanks for Archbishop Nichols’ Balanced, Sane Response to British Gay Marriage. (queeringthechurch.com)