I really wish I had seen this, when originally published, at the Tablet back in March.

Events have overtaken us. It’s extremely unlikely that we ever will see “Soho style” Masses anywhere, least of all in Soho, after this week’s announcement. But the core point remains extremely important - possibly more so, this week, than ever.

However we may feel about the move to Farm Street, whether we see it as an expansion of ministry, or as the supposed “closure” of the Soho Masses as we now know them- what about everybody else?

Soho Masses have grown and flourished, in numbers, in the range of activities, and in the degree of participation, and self-confidence in who we are. This is great for those who are able and willing to make the journey to central London, sometimes over great distances – but what of those who cannot, or will not? What of those who simply prefer to worship in their own, local parishes – even if at the cost of remaining closeted in church, and all that that entails? What of those who believe, as I do, that in matters of justice, “campaigning” is a theological and Gospel imperative?

My rough guesswork suggests that an estimate of half a million of these would be in the right ball park: but our present core congregation is only about a couple of hundred. What about all those others?

Elena Curti

20 March 2012, 9:00

Gay Catholics are called to life-long friendship, the Archbishop of Westminster told BBC2′s Newsnight programme last week. It was as far as Archbishop Vincent Nichols was prepared to go in articulating the Church’s pastoral concern for its gay members.

But he could have referred to the bi-monthly Soho Masses for gay Catholics and their families, which continue in his diocese in spite of complaints to Rome by traditionalists. These, more than anything else, have demonstrated that the Catholic Church takes seriously its ministry to gay members. It counters the argument from those advocating gay marriage that the Church is homophobic.

Now would be a good time for the Catholic Church in Britain to extend the provision of Soho-style Masses to other regions. People travel from far a-field to attend the Masses at the Church of the Assumption in Warwick Street, but for some they are out of reach.

What about Masses for gay Catholics in Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and so on?

When he was an auxiliary in Westminster, the Archbishop of Birmingham, Bernard Longley, led the dialogue with gay Catholics which led to the setting up of the Soho Masses in a Catholic church. He therefore would be ideal to set the ball rolling.

As for Cardinal Keith O’Brien, what better way to counter the furore that greeted his outburst against the notion of gay marriage? In the past Cardinal O’Brien has said he shoots from the hip to attract media attention for causes he considers important. He is a warm pastor and those who accuse him of homophobia are wide of the mark.

The debates we’ve seen over the last fortnight show how difficult it is to make the case against gay marriage without appearing illiberal. If we as Catholics are to argue convincingly that marriage is the nucleus of our society, that to tamper with it has implications for the care of children and that civil partnerships are the way to recognise stable, committed gay unions, we need the Church to show support for its gay members. Extending the gay Masses would be a good way to do that.

via The Tablet.

Related articles

• R.I.P. Soho Masses: Long Live Soho Masses! (queeringthechurch.com)
• Soho Masses: Can We Walk and Chew Gum at the Same Time? (questgaycatholic.org.uk)
• Archbishop is not anti-gay, says Soho Masses priest (standard.co.uk)
• Catholic Leaders Step Up Attacks on Gays: Reports from the Battlefronts (bilgrimage.blogspot.com)