By Publisher Dan MacKay • 2023-01-05 • Halifax
On the last Sunday of December, Father Isaac Longworth of St Benedict Catholic Church in Clayton Park delivered an only slightly incoherent homophobic sermon. (Wayves has archived the audio here in case the video is pulled off line.)
If this enrages you, write to the church. Cc everyone. Links are at the bottom of the article.
"I invite you to listen with an open mind."
Father Isaac Longworth, no. That's impossible. You you are not speaking with one.
Longworth uses the opportunity of the Feast of the Holy Family, and Psalm 128, to prove that Q couples are not real families and cannot experience real love. Longworth asserts that God created (presumably a 1950s nuclear) family as an environment for perfect love, between a man and a woman only. He goes on a tangent to point out that there are different kinds of love: "There is a widespread acceptance of homosexuality as just another form of love."
Somewhat annoyingly he illustrates some points with Q Halifax photographer Stoo Metz's iconic photo of the Halifax Pride Parade.
Here's a chunk:
When we look at homosexual relationships that seek to become a family of their own, we see that there are some significant shifts from the original design that God planned for the family. First of all, there's no longer the husband and wife that is described in the psalm, but rather two men or two women, and because of that, there's no fruitfulness to that relationship. There can never be that kind of fruit from a homosexual couple because they will not be able to bring forth children in the way that God designed it to happen, and as such, homosexual relationships, while they may feel very normal to the people involved in them, while they may experience a lot of happiness in it, it's not in line with what God's plan for the family is. It's not true love, it's not true marriage, and thus according to God's definition, it can't be considered a family. Homosexual relationships do not fall into the natural order that God has given.
Longworth regurgitates the same point a few times during his 18 minute homily.
What makes this sermon more peculiar is the context of Pope Francis, his boss, asserting just a couple of weeks ago that blessing same-sex couples was acceptable. In 2013, when asked by a journalist about gay priests, Francis replied, "Who am I to judge?" So where the Pope isn't judging, a young priest in Halifax has picked up the slack.
Shame on St Benedict for allowing this ill-informed homophobe on the pulpit.
This 19th century rant is not worthy of a rebuttal, but it is ripe for derision. Here are some sources:
- If you have a sense that Longworth is cherrypicking on his ideal marriage format, a very funny but unflattering catalog of Biblical marriages has been created, complete with chapter & verse, by Devin Green as "Mrs. Betty Bowers, America's Best Christian." click here, be prepared to laugh;
- if you want somewhat restrained commentary, look at the comments on the video; and
- if you want the complete chaos that only Reddit can deliver, check out the r/halifax thread on the topic
Longworth closes with, "If you have something to tell me about this homily, I want to hear it." Email him at office@saintbenedict.ca or call at (902) 443-0725, or Twitter @IsaacLongworth.
