The real question that the church in Los Angeles has to ask itself is this: is its attitude toward Catholics of homosexual orientation one of authentic compassion or not? I would say it is not, and in a future post I will point out the reasons why I believe this.

For now, I will simply set up the discussion by stating this: the Cardinal of Los Angeles and his staff, in a rather unapologetic but carefully spun rebellion against the Church, have opted for a pastoral approach that is without Courage but full of Dignity.

I think the situation will only become clearer today, when Rome releases its document about admission of same-sex attracted men into programs of priestly formation. DignityUSA has already openly rejected the instruction. It would be very surprising to see the Archdiocese of Los Angeles respond in any other way, although likely it will not be articulated as such. The mode of operation is simply to ignore the directives, and a series of excuses will accommodate this approach. I'll write about this at greater length soon.

So what does an authentic pastoral response to persons of homosexual orientation look like? I think Archbishop O' Malley has the right idea in the letter he released this past week to the faithful of Boston. Here is a truly courageous man. The contrasts with Cardinal Mahony's approach could not be more dramatic.