Remember Daniel Avila, the Massachusetts attorney who advises the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on marriage policy (AKA how to exclude same-sex couples from marriage using any means necessary)? The one who wrote an opinion piece in the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston calling homosexuality a “natural disaster” and saying that homosexuality is caused by Satan entering the wombs of unsuspecting pregnant women and wreaking havoc with their hormones?
Well, after Truth Wins Out and others got wind of his vile comments, the story generated a bit of a firestorm. Being a former member of the Catholic Church, I knew that Avila’s words went too far even for the flagrantly homophobic American bishops. Consequently, TWO made sure our press release condemning Avila was sent directly to both the newspaper that published his remarks (the Boston Pilot) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops themselves.
Today, both the Boston Pilot and Daniel Avila issued statements apologizing for the publication of the piece, which was also removed from the newspaper’s website. Judging by the tenor of Mr. Avila’s remarks, it looks like the paper and/or the American bishops gave him quite the dressing-down. Both apologies, which can also be found here, are reprinted in full below.
From the Boston Pilot:
Editor’s Note: Daniel Avila issued the following “Retraction/Apology” Nov. 2 in regard to his opinion piece “Some fundamental questions on same-sex attraction” which was published in our Oct. 28 edition. In addition to echoing Mr. Avila’s statement of regret, The Pilot also wishes to apologize for having failed to recognize the theological error in the column before publication. The Pilot has removed the column ‘Some fundamental questions on same-sex attraction’ from its Website.
And the “retraction/apology” from Daniel Avila:
“Statements made in my column, ‘Some fundamental questions on same-sex attraction’ of October 28, do not represent the position of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the column was not authorized for publication as is required policy for staff of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The teaching of Sacred Scripture and of the Catechism of the Catholic Church make it clear that all persons are created in the image and likeness of God and have inviolable dignity. Likewise, the Church proclaims the sanctity of marriage as the permanent, faithful, fruitful union of one man and one woman. The Church opposes, as I do too, all unjust discrimination and the violence against persons that unjust discrimination inspires. I deeply apologize for the hurt and confusion that this column has caused.”
Truth Wins Out is proud to have played a part in stemming the tide of even greater anti-LGBT hostility from the leaders of the American Catholic Church.
Avila at the Values Voter Summit a few weeks ago:
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Thanks again for your hard work*. Now if you could get lawmakers to make the use of the passive voice in retractions/apologies a crime punishable by a kick in the pants.
“Statements made in my column … I deeply apologize for the hurt and confusion that this column has caused.”
Gah.
*Am I the only one wondering what his gesture is measuring in that photo? Could be lying to a woman. Could be expressing a wish …
No, the Church and you do NOT oppose “all unjust discrimination” – you horrible homophobe – because you still do not believe our loves and lives are holy enough to be validated, acknowledged, celebrated and supported.
When I first read about Avila’s hateful diatribe the first thought through my head was “f*** you.” There is nothing in this apology to change my opinion.
And the Pilot’s whitewashing of this particularly vile piece of defamation as a “theological error?”
Do these people have any clue as to just how insulting they are?
I’m glad they had to eat their words. I’m glad TWO’s action garnered even this meager result. Unfortunately I see no real repentance here. Maybe if we sat them in a chair and let every LGBT person alive walk up to them and speak the same message to them they have spoken to us: “f**k you. You’re worthless. God hates you. The devil made you.” – – maybe after the millionth repetition they might truly understand and regret the harm they’ve done.
These types do this all the time. They claim to believe in our worth as human beings and then proceed to try to try to vilify us through the law, in the church, throughout society and in any other way possible.
Their definition of treating a human being with dignity seems to involve being nice to our faces and waiting until we turn around before they put the knife in our backs.
Thanks, TWO for bringing this to our attention.
But the truth is that this filthy homophobe, Daniel Avila, is still a homo-hater!
The retractions are just a PR stunt!
We are created in the image and likeness of God? Really? Last time I checked, my parents created me and I look like both of them. Are we to deduce that the Catholic church knows what the image of God looks like in the physical sense? The arrogance of that cult is astounding.
I thought avila’s comments were way over the top when I first read them, even for so backwards an entity as the Roman church. The only ‘good’ thing about this, is that it brings to the general public’s awareness just what type of insanity we’re up against every day.
Growing up I was taught the “we were created in the image and likeness of God” which I took to mean in spirit and loving capacity and all the other good characteristics that humans possess. Obviously, God does not have a physical form so that leaves out “looking” like God. IF that is the accepted case among dedicated Christians, then it stands to reason that God has a gay side or he just cares that we are capable of loving whom we are driven to love through our personal and immutable desires. Thus, it also stands that they have no business making laws to ostracize, punish by exclusion, demonize, and otherwise make discriminatory laws against their gay brothers and sisters because of God-given differences. Of course, I’m trying to be somewhat logical here and it won’t work on the non-thinking faithful.
Growing up I was taught the “we were created in the image and likeness of God” which I took to mean in spirit and loving capacity and all the other good characteristics that humans possess. Obviously, God does not have a physical form so that leaves out “looking” like God. IF that is the accepted case among dedicated Christians, then it stands to reason that God has a gay side or he just cares that we are capable of loving whom we are driven to love through our personal and immutable desires. Thus, it also stands that they have no business making laws to ostracize, punish by exclusion, demonize, and otherwise make discriminatory laws against their gay brothers and sisters because of God-given differences. Of course, I’m trying to be somewhat logical here and it won’t work on the non-thinking faithful. Of course, the key word in the Catholic statement above is “unjust discrimination” of which marital equality is not “unjust”.
Roman Catholic employee Daniel Avila’s weak-kneed back-pedaling is no “apology” at all.
In it, he carefully, cleverly specifies that the Church only opposes “unjust” discrimination, which means that it still supports the “justified” discrimination that is so often cited by Holy Mother Church, National Organization for Marriage, and Maggie Gallagher Srivastav.
And he halts any possibility of dignity for LGBT couples or childless couples, by insisting that no marriage can be holy unless it is a “fruitful union” and “of one man and one woman.”
Avila mentioned “unjust discrimination” a couple times. Does that mean he believes some forms of discrimination are “just?” I think that’s his loophole – the church always has one.
What part of his message did he retract, the one about gays being from Satan, or the acknowledgment that homosexuality is inborn?
Apology not accepted.
As my Mum says, “if you were truly sorry, you would not have done it in the first place”.
“The teaching of Sacred Scripture and of the Catechism of the Catholic Church make it clear that all persons are created in the image and likeness of God and have inviolable dignity.”
-nuff said
[...] then serving as the USCCB’s “Policy Advisor for Marriage and Family,” resigned in disgrace after TWO and many other groups condemned him for writing that homosexuality was caused by Satan [...]