Jesuit James Martin Plugs ‘LGBT Catholic Retreats’

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DETROIT (ChurchMilitant.com) - In his latest attempt to transform the Catholic Church, a vehemently pro-gay Jesuit has advertised "two LGBT Catholic retreats" on social media, but one Catholic author sees through the sham.

"The organizers of two LGBT Catholic retreats asked me to share this info with you," begins a tweet by homosexualist Fr. James Martin.

The "Love Casts Out Fear" retreat, organized by dissident group New Ways Ministry (NWM), will take place in Maryland in April and the "Out at St. Paul" retreat will occur in early February on the Jersey Shore, about 15 miles north of homopredator Theodore McCarrick's infamous beach house in Sea Girt, New Jersey.

Second, the Church of St. Paul the Apostle (NYC) LGBT outreach group, "Out at St. Paul" is sponsoring a retreat oceanside at the welcoming San Alfonso Retreat House in Long Branch, N.J, on Feb 7-9. (Transportation provided from NYC). Sign up here: https://t.co/PWJWdFq7oN pic.twitter.com/Qe1xWvTGQC

— James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) January 14, 2020

Church Militant spoke with Catholic author and blogger Joseph Sciambra who runs Sons of St. Joseph, an association of "Christian men [dedicated to St. Joseph] who hope to overcome all same-sex attractions and any persistent attachments to the homosexual or the 'gay' orientation."

"All of these so-called Catholic LGBT ministries and retreats are based on two premises: that homosexuality is an inborn trait given by God and that the Catholic Church will eventually change its stance on homosexual relations," he said.

This push to change the Church can be seen in materials from one of the organizations hosting a retreat.

"Out at St. Paul," which is holding the February event, "is the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Ministry of our parish at St. Paul the Apostle in New York City," according to its website.

A bulletin from St. Paul the Apostle advertises an "Out at St. Paul" project titled "Owning Our Faith" that has its own website.

Visitors to the site are greeted with a short documentary in which active members of the LGBT community talk about the Catholic faith.

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"There is no evidence that the Catholic Church will ever reverse its teachings on homosexual acts; to do so would necessitate a wholesale denial of natural law," he said. "That's an impossibility."

Sciambra explained that telling people otherwise is manipulative and abusive: "To deliberately make someone (who identifies as LGBT) believe that if they just hang-in there with the Church everything will change, amounts to the worst sort of psychological abuse and manipulation."

As to the premise people are "born gay," Sciambra said, "Even the very gay-affirmative American Psychological Association cannot claim that anyone was 'born gay,' according to the APA: 'There is no consensus among scientists about the exact reasons that an individual develops a heterosexual, bisexual, gay or lesbian orientation.'"

Church Militant reached out to the diocese of Trenton, where the Jersey Shore retreat will take place, and received the following response: "San Alfonso Retreat House is run by the Redemptorist order, independent of the diocese of Trenton. While located in the diocese, San Alfonso Retreat House has never asked the diocese to approve the programs, speakers or groups that they host in their facility."

The NWM website states its retreat is to help gay clergy:

Gay men are disproportionately present in the Catholic clergy. The overwhelming majority serve the Church with care and compassion. However, some Catholics blame the sexual abuse of minors on the presence of gay men in ministry. In this atmosphere of blame and shame, gay priests are afraid to speak the truth of who they are. ... The retreat is designed to assist gay priests, bishops, brothers and deacons, in developing better self-understanding, spirituality, friendships and a more honest relationship with the institutional Church.

NWM is correct about the predominance of gay men in the clergy, but overlooks the well-documented homosexual nature of most clergy sex abuse cases. The organization also implies these homosexual predators target children (pedophilia) when teens and young adult males are their main prey.

Father Paul Rospond, the associate pastor at St. Paul the Apostle, offered some ideas for "spiritual new year's resolutions" in Sunday's bulletin. One of those ideas is to sign up for the "Out at St. Paul's" retreat in early February.

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