Sir, - It was not surprising that Senator David Norris (July 27th) should be at variance with the latest Vatican action in regard to homosexuality - the suspension of the ministry of two Catholic chaplains, Sr Jeannine Gramick and Fr Robert Nugent, for the simple reason that they did not represent the Catholic Church's approach to the problem.
While the Catholic Church preaches compassion and sympathy for people with homosexual leanings, it does not approve of homosexual activity but rather urges that homosexuals should be presented with the teachings of the Church and helped to live according to it - something obviously that Sr Gramick and Fr Nugent were not prepared to do, although they got ample opportunity to recant their position and come into line with official church teaching.
As I say, it is not surprising that Senator Norris should take exception to this as he was the one who was instrumental in getting homosexuality decriminalised in Ireland, while the Church insists on teaching the intrinsic evil of homosexual acts. Senator Norris may be involved in the legality or criminality of homosexuality, while the Church's interest is in the morality involved - the former has to do with the law of the land while the latter has to do with the law of God.
However, rather than throwing any light or clarification on the rightfulness or wrongfulness of homosexuality, Senator Norris deviates from the argument by having recourse to accusations and recriminations about Church personnel themselves. This, if anything, one might be inclined to think, should make the Church's teaching more tolerant of homosexuality. But no; it does not change its doctrine on the intrinsic evil of homosexual acts and the objective disorder of the homosexual inclination itself.
The prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament decries those "who call good evil and evil good" and St Paul in the New Testament bewails the danger of giving a blurred message, as he put it: "When the trumpet sounds an uncertain note, who will prepare for battle?" So when Senator Norris asks rather despairingly at the end of his letter: "When will they ever learn?", he can be assured of this: that the Catholic Magisterium will never allow itself to be guilty of Isaiah's condemnation of calling "good evil and evil good", nor of sending out a false note to the confusion of the faithful. - Yours, etc.
Fr Placid C. Nolan OP, Holy Cross Priory, Tralee, Co Kerry.