Dear Bishops: Imitate Jesus’ Open Welcome

Today’s post is from Bondings 2.0 contributor Lisa Fullam, D.V.M., Th.D.

How very sad that New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan chose to backpedal from his initial support for the funeral for Cecilia Gentili at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Gentili was known for her work on behalf of trans rights and support for LGBTQ+ health care initiatives. She was an author, a performer, and a fierce advocate for her community. In 2018, she founded Trans Equity Consulting with the mission of “building the leadership of trans women of color, and to the centering of sex workers, immigrants and incarcerated peoples as experts in creating a more just world.” Gentili’s work on behalf of the poor, the marginalized, and the erased (as trans people are defined as non-existent in magisterial teaching) made her a hero in the LGBTQ+ community.

The original request for a funeral was approved as a matter of routine, noted by a spokesperson to be a corporal work of mercy. Dolan now says that the language used in some of the eulogies was irreverent and disrespectful, and he applauds the decision of the presider to change course mid-liturgy and not celebrate Eucharist.

I was reminded of the incident in San Francisco years ago when then-Archbishop George Niederauer gave Communion to members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and was video-taped doing so. Niederauer immediately became the target of attacks by Bill O’Reilly and others on the Catholic right, and the Sisters were accused of desecrating the Eucharist, though nothing indicates that they did anything other than approach the altar respectfully in their trademark fabulous habits. Last I knew, though, there is no dress code for grace.

Chastened by the backlash, Niederauer issued an apology for giving Communion to the sisters, saying that their “provocative gesture” (of showing up for Communion at a queer-friendly church in the Castro??) made them ineligible for the sacrament. Like Gentili, the Sisters are known for their work for justice, including charitable work, counseling, and decades of service to the LGBTQ+ community, and—after some controversy during the past season—the Sisters will be honored with the Community Hero Award by the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team this summer.

What’s a bishop to do? Clearly these are difficult situations for them. Perhaps I can offer some thoughts on how to approach incidents like this. So, ahem, here goes:

Dear Bishops:

I have an idea about how you might deal with situations like Cecilia Gentilini’s funeral or when the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence come to Mass. Remember when Jesus said his followers should be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves”?

Let’s take that for a spin here.

First, the “innocent as doves” part. No one disputes the good works and tireless support of the poor and marginalized done by Gentili, as well as the Sisters, and many others who may not meet with the approval of the loud and judgmental. Celebrate her funeral. Praise their good works. Inspire others to go and do likewise. After all, there aren’t nearly enough people doing good work for the Reign of God, are there? Provide eucharist to anyone who approaches and holds out a hand. It will strengthen them for those good works. Show them with your welcome and love that the Church harbors no animosity towards anyone who approaches the altar or comes to bid farewell to a brave and beloved soul.

How do you do the “wise as serpents” part? Easy: be innocent as doves. That means that when people come to church, even if they’re using bad language or seem irreverent, they still have come to church. Focus on that. After all, it’s not so easy for lots of folks, especially lots of LGBTQ+ folks, to be in church in the first place. They’ve come in. Love them. More important, remind them of the boundless love of God for all God’s children, no exceptions. After all, grace is never earned, only freely given, and grace abounds. That kind of message might help heal some of the hurt many people have experienced at the hands of religious authorities—you can be wise as serpents in the way Moses held up a bronze serpent to signify God’s healing all those years ago, to a people who had come to doubt God’s presence with them.

Will people attack you if you do this? Yup. Remember the context of this gospel saying: Jesus said he was sending his followers out “as sheep in the midst of wolves.” There are wolves out there. Jesus was accused of hanging around with the wrong kind of people, too, folks who weren’t pious in the way the loud and judgmental of that time thought was right. Jesus stayed with his people, the tax collectors and the sinners, the doubters and the deniers who became the founders of our Church.

So in situations like this, I’d invite you to do a little likewise, too. Do not be afraid. And do not apologize or backpedal or even second-guess yourselves for imitating Jesus, for offering welcome and the grace of the sacraments to those who ask for them, even if they use bad language in church, even if they dress unconventionally for Mass. You might find that you’ve entertained angels without knowing it. At the very least, you’ll show that the church stands with people who work for justice in our pained and discordant world.

Sincerely yours,
Lisa

—Lisa Fullam, March 11, 2024