The man who is the Catholic Church in America’s “marriage expert” has now retracted his statement that the devil makes people homosexual, after an outpouring of anger from both the theological community and the LGBT community and its supporters. Last week, in the Boston Pilot, America’s oldest Catholic newspaper which serves as the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston, Daniel Avila claimed God does not cause homosexuality, rather, there is “a credible basis for a spiritual explanation that indicts the devil.” Further, Avila said the devil did his work in the mother’s womb.
But Wednesday, both Avila and the Boston Pilot offer both retractions and apologies.
“Statements made in my column, ‘Some fundamental questions on same-sex attraction’ of October 28, do not represent the position of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the column was not authorized for publication as is required policy for staff of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,” wrote Avila yesterday. “The teaching of Sacred Scripture and of the Catechism of the Catholic Church make it clear that all persons are created in the image and likeness of God and have inviolable dignity. Likewise, the Church proclaims the sanctity of marriage as the permanent, faithful, fruitful union of one man and one woman. The Church opposes, as I do too, all unjust discrimination and the violence against persons that unjust discrimination inspires. I deeply apologize for the hurt and confusion that this column has caused.”
While those words are perhaps of some comfort to the millions not only offended by their predecessors, they clearly do not explain why Avila thought it would be acceptable to publish such antediluvian ignorance in the first place.
“In addition to echoing Mr. Avila’s statement of regret, The Pilot also wishes to apologize for having failed to recognize the theological error in the column before publication,” an Editor’s Note on the page of the now-removed column states. “The Pilot has removed the column ‘Some fundamental questions on same-sex attraction’ from its Website.”
One wonders which is more insufficient; Avila’s apology, or the Editor’s statement of regret that a work it published didn’t pass theological muster?
Avila is one of the top leaders employed by the Catholic Church in America — formally The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and headed by Archbishop Timothy Dolan.
Should anyone think f a moment that this was a one-off act, a slip, perhaps a drunked slip of the “publish” button, think again.
Avila, who has labeled himself “the bishops’ marriage guy,†has previously likened the legalization of marriage equality to “a nuclear bomb exploding in every home.†Avila calls his work “mission territory,†and also says “that people just need to be educated and motivated, and then we will have very strong support in the Catholic community for traditional marriage.â€
As The New Civil Rights Movement noted Wednesday, Avila’s statement — now retracted — is a greater window into the mind of those in the Catholic Church’s hierarchy than any statement we have to date.  The supreme take-​away from all this? The Catholic Church is not just advocating in favor of so-​called “traditional marriage.†They have built an entire organization around fighting against same-​sex marriage equality, and are committed to funding its defeat.
Retract and apologize all you wish, and while the retraction is appreciated, it is insufficient. The devil has been exposed — not as the cause of homosexuality in the womb, but as the spectre of hatred and ignorance that feeds the Catholic Church’s power.