Carnal Cruise Lines and Time Magazine are teaming up to offer a fabulous tour of Gay Catholic Italy, hosted by Andrew Sullivan:
I’ve often wondered how many straight Catholics fully appreciate how gay their church has always been. Especially in the old days. High Mass was, in its heyday, more elaborate and choreographed than a very melodramatic Broadway musical. Do people really believe that gay priests and religious had nothing to do with it? They had everything to do with it.
The first time I walked into a gay disco, with all those lights, music, ritual and smoke, my immediate thought was: church! Madonna gets this, whatever Jonah says. Because she’s a born-and-bred Catholic, which Jonah isn’t. It’s theater, sweetie, theater. And the Church once understood that – which was part of its beautiful Catholicity. Gone, now, alas. But Benedict is helping nudge it back. And although I tease him about it, it’s a wonderful thing. More incense, please. And lace.
Friday, February 9, 2007–Fly into Milan or Rome, met at airport
Transport to the spectacular Villa Nabieno on Lake Como–Dinner 7 PM in the Grand Ballroom, Introduction by Andrew: Como-Sexuality
Open Bar
Saturday, February 10–Recuperate
Sunday, February 11–Travel to Milan, sightseeing and shopping, guided tour of Duomo. Stay at Hotel Four Seasons Milano
Dinner 7 PM. Lecture by Andrew, “Milan’s Po-Mo Homo Duomo,” clubbing at the famous G-Lounge!
Monday, February 12–More Shopping, Lunch at the hedonistic Puerto Alegre!
Tuesday, February 13–Travel to Florence
Visit Michaelangelo’s studii, the Uffizi Gallery. Shop for leather goods in the afternoon!
Stay at the luxurious Villa Fiesole Hotel in the hilltop town overlooking Florence. Special private discoteque event!
Wednesday, February 14–St. Valentine’s Day!
Champaigne breakfast at the Hotel Bistro, exchange of cards and gifts. Visit to the Duomo and the “Putti” Palace. Optional day trip to the thermal spas at the Villa Chianti.
Formal dinner, Andrew’s lecture, “All the Great Renaissance Artists Were Gay”
Thursday, February 15–recuperate
Friday, February 16–Travel to Montepulciano, Siena
Visit Siena’s Duomo and spend the afternoon in the extraordinary enotecha at the top of the city, sampling wines from all of Italy
Stay overnight in the decadent Hotel Athena, dinner lecture by Andrew, “St. Francis of A Sissy!”
Saturday, February 17–Assissi and Rome
Visit the birthplace of St. Francis and travel to Rome by luxury coach; optional side trip to small hilltop village of Montefranco for hugger-mugger with local married men behind the tennis courts
Stay at the sensual Ambasciatori Palace Hotel! Opera at the Baths of Caracalla: Verdi’s Otello–a new production in which Iago and Otello are gay lovers! Libretto in English by Andrew Sullivan
Sunday, February 18–Mass at St Peters, Sis(sy)tine Chapel Tour, optional Gay Catacombs Tour (spelunking!), shopping, clubbing!
Monday, February 19–Travel to Venice
Stay at the fabulous Hotel Danieli, right on the waterways, just in time for the climax of Carnivale!
Moonlight gondola regatta!
Tuesday, February 20–Mardi Gras in Venice
The grand finale of our tour–costume party on Fat Tuesday in the home of Carnivale! Watch out for Amontillado!
Wednesday, February 21
Fly out of Rome or Milan
h/t Slublog via Ace
“To see what’s in . . . one’s nose requires a constant struggle.”–George Orwell
I’ve often wondered how many straight Catholics fully appreciate how gay their church has always been.
Oh. I think some alterboys might have an idea.
Another study of the problem by Dr. Philp Jenkins at the University of Pennsylvania, found an abuse rate of 1.7% among the clergy of the Archidiocese of Philadelphia. This is still a number lower than sensationalist press reports suggest; it is less than half the rate of homosexual abuses of teengers by adults in the general population, which is believed to be about 4%.
While the abuses are inexcusable, the rate of accusation of abuse is far less than the press would have one believe. Most interestingly, the rate of abuse of both types, homosexual and heterosexual, by Protestant married clergy, is almost 10% – and goes largely unreported.
The most amazing part of this all is that the abuses were mostly to post-pubescent teenagers, which makes this a homosexual issue and not a pedophilic one. Gay PC standards prevent the honest appraisal of the scandal in the press, however. The problem originated in seminaries that pemitted the ordination of homosexual men, something prohibited by Church canon precisely because of the temptations homosexuals might suffer in the celibate life.
First of all:Dan, you are a total wack job (I mean that in a good way!) “spelunking! clubbing!” Great stuff!
Geezer: Do you have a source link for the married clergy 10% info? That number stunned me.
Not to excuse anybody but one of the reasons that Protestant abuses don’t get anywhere near the press is that they are generally treated as criminal cases by the churches and, with few exceptions, are vigorouslt pursued and prosecuted.
I have some insight as a very good friend of mine was a pastor at a medium sized congregation in Pennsylvania. After several rumors had circulated and one parent and child stepped forward, he confronted his married with two kids youth pastor, who confessed that he has been molesting boys in the church’s youth program for over 2 years.
The short version was that he accepted the youth pastor’s tearful apology and pleas for forgiveness but insisted that he face judgment by turning himself into the police. He was laso forced to confess what he had done to the entire congregation at a church meeting (that must have been some meeting!) The church brought in an outside psychologist (also a good friend of mine), reached out to molester’s family and counseled not only the the molested boys and their parents but the entire cogregation at large. The molester made an deal that was endorsed by the pastor to a jail term (3 years, I think) with the revocation of his ordination and a probation agreement that he not be involved in any activity that included children and the continuation of after care. Amazingly, he is still married to his wife (she might be a saint) and continues his after care.
Ther whole point of this story is to illustrate the importance of coming clean and facing the problem head on. The Catholic Church erred grieviously when they tried to make the issue about repentance and forgiveness for the molesters while leaving out the whole judgment and penance part. More than anything else, that’s what created the tremendous resetment and anger that was shown by parishoners. The fact that these cases came to light in a big bunch because of the previous shuffling fed the myth that molestation was widespread in the church when, in fact, it was no more widespread that the general population.
Colin Powell is right. Bad news does not age like a fine wine.
Italy I guess has been a gay tourist destination ever since Thomas Mann wrote Death in Venice.
We’d do much better to “do” Greece with Victor Hanson.
BJ, head over to catholicanswers.com. The 10% figure is based upon the number of protestant clergy convictions and resignations, I believe, and includes both hetero- and homosexual incidents.
I also read the figure somewhere else, but I cannot recall. It may appear in the Jenkins study. It’s been a while since I read that.
I agree with what you state regarding bad news aging. What really bugs me about a drive-by shot like
is the apparently complete ignorance of the facts of the scandal implicit to the remark. “…has always been” is so ignorant and hateful that it evidences stupidity in addition to its ignorance.
I realize Collins hyped Sullivan’s illogical stupidity; it is a shame it drew Sullivanesque stupidity from the etherslime.
Ufortunely, my friend, the nature of scandals, especially particularly salacious ones like this, are an invitation for the great unwashed to feed at the trough of sensationalism. The Catholic Church semmed to take forever to grasp the idea that they needed to get on top of this problem now rather than trying to dance around it for years. But you are correct, taking drive by shots at the church is easy and without consequences. The shooters ignore the overall popsitive impact that the church has had and continues to have world wide.
Christians should be used to that kind of “profiling” by now.
Duely Chastened. I’ll slink off over here now. But what is it about the priesthood that attracts homosexuals? I’m going back to several friends who attended semanary in Chicago. They all claimed their reason for leaving was the preponderance of gay men.
Rusty: the problem is the Catholic Church’s problem. What is it that attracts homosexuals to the priesthood? It is because the Church did not mind its bishops, who allowed new-age morality to infest the seminaries. It was moral theologians who taught sexual morality that ignored precepts of the Church and plain and simple interpretation of Scripture. The bishops in many jurisidictions did not discipline their staffs, and the result was openly homosexual relationships (yes!) in the seminaries and in the dioceses.
But even in this indictment of the bishops and the Church, one must remember that very few priests, in actuality, victimized the naive youth in their charge. It is still outrageous, and it is being addressed. God will regruntle the Church.
The chaff will be sorted out.