"Catholic" cathedral welcomes ‘Pink Saturday’ gay pride gathering with bishop’s blessing
The southern Dutch town of ’s-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch for
short) has been chosen to host the Netherlands’ “Pink Saturday” on June
24. The capital of the historically Catholic province of North-Brabant
will welcome LGBT persons from all over the country and beyond with a
first-ever event: an ecumenical prayer service for participants to be
held in the Catholic cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist in the
presence of Bishop Gerard de Korte.
The
Roman Catholic bishop recently confirmed that he will give a blessing
at the end of the ceremony. Gay rights groups are overjoyed. The local
radio, Omroep Brabant, tweeted “Hallelujah” when the news was made
public.
“Roze
Zaterdag” is the Dutch version of Gay Pride, including a parade with
provocative and outré dress and attitudes. Nowadays, cultural, musical
and other events officially organized by the host city are thrown in,
usually a full week before the day of celebration. It got its name from
the protest marchers that were held during Holy Week in 1979 in Limburg,
the southernmost province of the Netherlands, against the
“anti-homosexual” teachings of Bishop Johannes Gijsen, who was at the
time one of the few non-progressive bishops in the country.
“Pink
Saturday” was chosen as a counterpoint to the Catholics’ White Thursday
and Good Friday. At the time, Bishop Gijsen of Roermond said that
practicing homosexuals could not be considered as “full members” of the
Church because they could not receive the sacraments while choosing that
lifestyle.
Given
these beginnings, the Den Bosch “Pink Saturday” will have a bitter
taste of revenge, and will certainly appear to be a disavowal of what
Bishop Gijsen said in the 1970s.
From
the start, the Dutch “Pink Saturday” was a place to push for gay
rights. In progressive Netherlands, lesbians, gays, bi- and transsexuals
have little left to ask for in 2017, and the event has become more
festive, although there are still many gay-rights organizations present
and information stands are part of the affair.
The official day always opens with an ecumenical service, but up to
now this had never taken place in a Catholic church, let alone a
cathedral. It was, perhaps, the last place left to conquer.
The
choice of the cathedral of Den Bosch – the fruit of two years of talks
with the local clergy and other denominations that are taking part – is a
symbolic one. The last time homosexuals made themselves heard in the
beautiful, flamboyant Gothic building was during a Sunday Mass in
February 2010 when the then-parish priest in the village of Reusel
refused to give Holy Communion to an openly homosexual “Carnival
Prince.”
At the time, the cathedral’s parish priest, Geertjan
van Rossum, made a public statement reminding the faithful that only
people who observe the Ten Commandments are admitted to Holy Communion:
“Proper living out of sexuality is part of that,” he said, triggering
the angry departure of the gay activists.
It
is the same Geertjan van Rossum who negotiated the “Pink Saturday”
event in the cathedral. He will personally welcome the participants and
take the lead role, surrounded by Protestant pastors and “pastoresses,”
including an openly gay minister who will all speak during the ceremony.
In an interview published on the “Pink Saturday” website, Father van
Rossum announced that the bishop himself would take part.
“Ours is a hospitable town where all citizens should be able to live
with dignity and we should not make each other’s lives sour, and that is
why personally, but also in the name of our Catholic parish, we want to
support this initiative,” Father van Rossum said. “We want to have a
nice town for all its inhabitants and all its guests. As a Christian and
as a believer, I also know there are Christians and believers who
belong to the LGBT community and who also want to be involved with the
community of the faithful. So as a priest, together with the cathedral
parish, we also want to be involved with Pink Saturday, and also with
the ecumenical celebration.”
Father
van Rossum admits he had some “hesitation” about holding the prayer in
the “Sint Jan” that has been at the center of Catholic life in Den Bosch
since the Middle Ages, also as a Marian pilgrimage site where a
miraculous statue of Our Lady is still venerated today. But in the end,
the large Gothic vessel seemed to him the most appropriate for the
reception of many participants expected to join the ceremony.
Bishop
de Korte has shown his acceptance of the LGBT community. His spokesman,
Joos Goes, told Gay.nl that the bishop wants the Catholic Church to be
an “open and hospitable institution.”
“The teaching of the Church does not change,” Goes
added. But he immediately relativized this reminder, saying: “We
understand that people can feel shut out and be disappointed with the
Church, but we think that everyone should find a spot within the
community of believers. Subjects such as sexual orientation collide with
the teaching of the Church, but in practice it’s often not much of a
deal. Today, there are already homosexuals who are joyful members of a
parish.”
Bishop
de Korte is known for his opposition to traditionally-minded Cardinal
Wim Eijk of Utrecht, who has called homosexuality “mutual masturbation.”
When De Korte took possession of his see in 2016, he abundantly quoted
Pope Francis, calling for a Church that is prepared to be “dirty,” and
for “bridges, not walls.” The Dutch press is already comparing his
“openness” with Pope Francis’ style.
“Pink
Saturday” will also have events in the small town of Oss next to Den
Bosch. Its parish priest, Father Cor Mennen, well known as a
conservative Catholic blogger, published a critical post reminding the
faithful of the teaching of the Church as exposed in the Catechism of
the Catholic Church.
“This
moral standpoint is clear. It does not mean that the Church rejects the
homosexual faithful. They can be members of the Church and take part in
Church life. The Church does ask her faithful to be prepared in an
upright manner to live according to her morals, which come straight from
the Bible and natural moral law,” he wrote.
But, he added, “It is against Catholic belief, and
therefore not pastoral, morally to approve of homosexual acts or to do
as if it were a normal variant of human sexuality.” This is exactly what
“most homosexual organizations” are after, he says – which explains
their demand for a celebration in the “Sint Jan” cathedral.
“They want to conquer the last bulwark that is
holding fast to the scriptural disapproval of homosexual activity and of
all acts that go against natural moral law,” he explained.
He
goes on to say that friendliness cannot justify a celebration that not
only appears to condone the homosexual lifestyle but scandalizes “normal
Catholics who want to remain true to the Church’s teaching, not least
those homosexuals who make the effort of living chastely in accordance
with it.”
He
concluded: “It is certainly no coincidence that on June 24th, the
Church celebrates the day of the birth of Saint John the Baptist. John
was beheaded by King Herod because he reproached him his immoral
behavior – Herod was living with his brother’s wife. He who stands up
for God’s laws seldom reaps applause.”