Celebrating 35 Years of Ministry in the LGBT Catholic Community!
Rev. Charles Curran
In 1992, the board and staff of New Ways Ministry instituted aBridge Building Award to recognize an individual who hascontributed through scholarship, leadership, or witness to theimprovement of the relationship between the lesbian and gaycommunity and the Catholic Church. The Board of New WaysMinistry selected Charles E. Curran as its first recipient.
Fr. Curran is the Elizabeth Scurlock University Professor of Human Values at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Hehas served as President of the Catholic Theological Society of America, the Society of Christian Ethics, and the AmericanTheological Society.
As a world-renowned moral theologian, Fr. Curran has calledthe theological community and the Church to address the need for aviable sexual ethic for single and married persons, as well as forlesbian and gay individuals. Through his scholarship, Charles Currancontinues to inspire succeeding generations of ethicists with hiscourage and humility.
Bishop Matthew Clark of Rochester says, "As a theologian,Father Curran enjoys considerable respect not only in our diocese butacross this country. He is unfailingly thorough and respectful in hisexposition of the teaching of the church. Indeed, I have heard it saidthat few theologians have a better grasp of or express more clearlythe fullness of the Catholic moral tradition."
In his theological writings, Charles Curran has dedicated muchenergy to addressing the pressing need of the Catholic Church for aviable sexual ethic. He has displayed vision by moving beyond theissues facing single and married individuals to include the crisesaffecting lesbian and gay persons as well. In doing so, Charles Curranhas shown compassion and insight by listening to their experiencesand responding to their concerns. He has demonstrated courage indeveloping and articulating a position which he forthrightlyacknowledges to be at variance with episcopal teaching.
New Ways Ministry appreciates that his positions of integrityhave not been without sacrifice. Charles Curran remains among the leading Catholic moral theologians, not only in the United States, butin the world, who take seriously the theologian's role to speak the truth in love. Because of his positions on human sexuality, CharlesCurran has been censured and denied deserved professorship at theCatholic University of America as an example to other theologians who would dissent from magisterial teaching on sexual ethics.
Despite criticism leveled against him, Charles Curran continuesto present his theological positions publicly in the hope that theymight advance understanding and development through constructivedialogue. In 1981, while in the midst of his own case with Vatican authorities, he nevertheless appeared in a public forum during theFirst New Ways Ministry Symposium on Homosexuality and theCatholic Church. At that time, he spoke about the ethics of a same-sex relationship. This action, we are convinced, did not gain him favor from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
New Ways Ministry thanks Charles Curran for his theologicaland strategic advice to others, most notably to our co-founders,Jeannine Gramick and Robert Nugent, who have encountered similardifficulties with Church authorities. New Ways Ministry has beenblessed many times by his professional advice and personal concern.
As a warm and loving human being, Charles Curran has maintained an open-hearted, compassionate solidarity with lesbian and gay Catholics and a public support of ministry on their behalf.He remains a source of encouragement to them in their struggle to beincluded and reverenced as members of the family of God.
New Ways Ministry is privileged to present to Charles E.Curran, a peacemaker, reconciler, and man of prayer, our first Bridge Building Award.
Bridge Building Awards
©2008 New Ways Ministry
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