Sat Sebastian by Guido Reni (c. 1616)There is hardly anythg unual or particularly pellg about a gay in who is young, betiful, whe, shirtls, and baby-faced. But what if this same boyish in had emerged om a key historil antagonist of same-sex sire: the teachgs of Christiany?The se of Sat Sebastian, who was martyred …
Contents:
- ST. JOHN HENRY NEWMAN: THE FIRST OPENLY GAY CATHOLIC SAT?
- HOW DID A THIRD-CENTURY CATHOLIC SAT BEE A GAY IN? HERE’S THE HOMOEROTIC HISTORY OF SAT SEBASTIAN
- WHO IS THE PATRON SAT OF GAYS AND LBIANS?
- THE LGBT AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: A SECRET HISTORY OF GAY SATS
- SAT SEBASTIAN AS A GAY IN
- WHEN I ME OUT AS A GAY CATHOLIC, SATS AUGTE AND MONI HELPED ME GROW CLOSER TO MY MOM — AND GOD
- GAY JU PRIT CALLS FOR CHURCH TO REGNIZE LGBTQ+ SATS
ST. JOHN HENRY NEWMAN: THE FIRST OPENLY GAY CATHOLIC SAT?
How did inography of Sat Sebastian bee popular the gay muny? Osr Wil was taken wh Guido Reni's patg the figure. * gay patron saint *
His wrgs nvced historians John Boswell and Brian Patrick McGuire that Aelred was a gay man, albe one who still disuraged any sexual activy outsi the bounds of marriage.
HOW DID A THIRD-CENTURY CATHOLIC SAT BEE A GAY IN? HERE’S THE HOMOEROTIC HISTORY OF SAT SEBASTIAN
Sats Sergi and Bacch were a homosexual uple who tly loved each other. They are regard as patron sats of homosexuals and are almost always picted together. Some say Sat Sebastian was also homosexual, and he is often regard as a patron sat of homosexuals as well, though isn't exactly official yet.A:The Catholic Church has alloted no official patron sat of homosexuals. Gay activists groups have been lobbyg for one sce the papacy of John Pl II. A:The alleged homosexual relatn of Sts. Sergi and Bacch is the work of a sole historil revisnist, the late John Boswell. The two sats had an extremely close relatnship, beg both soldiers and secret Christians a bodyguard attachment. In the ancient text of their martyrology they are lled "erastai" the Greek, or "lovers". That fn n also mean "brothers" or "uned heart". It was both the ctom and belief the ancient world and specifilly the east that men uld love each other as brothers a non-sexual ntext wh a greater tensy based on honor and loyalty than a man and a woman uld ever love each other, for only another man uld know the virtue and strength of another man's heart and nvictns. There is a plete lack of support for Boswell's claim other than the timels for his claratn, for currently is que vogue to look for such thgs every quarter. The quote of C. S. Lewis would seem to be appropriate here that " has actually bee necsary our time to rebut the theory that every firm and ser iendship is really homosexual." A:Homosexuals also look to St. Sebastian although this is not so much bee he is claimed to have been a homosexual so much as the gay movements sir to honor him as their patron. A:The great difficulty wh this issue is that the Catholic Church believ homosexual behavr to be gravely sful, and as such, would not seem appropriate to name a patron. If the Church did name a patron would probably not be appreciated by the homosexual muny as the Church would assign a sat whose tercsn would be to strengthen those wh homosexual tennci om givg and engagg such behavr as has done the se of prostut and other such thgs. As a rult, the Church has acted diplomatilly and remaed silent regard to pleas to name a patron sat one way or the other. Clarifitn:Acrdg to the "Roman" Catholic Church. The Old Catholic Church (Ultraject, Unn of Ultrecht) do not nsir homosexualy or beg a part of the "Alphabet Soup" (GLBTIAQ) general to be a erastai uld mean "uned by spir"-- was also wily ed for more physil sorts of romantic relatnships between men the lerature of the time as well. So really 's a 50/50 ll eher way. It's worth notg that the Roman Catholics have more to lose if they adm this, given their ongog and sometim rabid persecutn of personal opn? I thk eher as iends uned wh a sgle heart, or blsed lovers ( is mentned they went through the ung ceremony that once existed the Catholic Church for same-sex partnerships. This ceremony was employed many tim, for both men and women. The last rerd of 's e was a female uple jt after the Catholic Church began a more wispread mpaign agast homosexualy the 14th century (a reactn to the Black Plague. Homosexual upl did not produce children to work fields for the nobily who turn fund church. This papal nmnatn led to homosexual figur such as Sir Galaht, a Christian and one of Arthur's knights, beg erased om popular culture of the time through succsive retellgs of the legends. Galaht today is so margalized that most do not know of him at all when prr he was one of Arthur's greatt knights, mentned before even Gawa song.)-- after this the ceremony is no longer allowed. Today, many Catholics don't know existed at all.), St.s Bacch and Sergi would be perfect official Patrons. As a Catholic who happens to be bisexual, I certaly pray for their tercsn, as well as St. Valente (1). St. Sebastian is more about the will to never give up the fight-- he was executed for spreadg Christiany, healed om his mortal wounds by St. Irene and went after Dcletian to chastize him for his persecutn of Christians, only to be executed aga. Any other person might have n, but Sebastian jt kept on dog what he felt was right even though st him his life twice. That's fely somethg we Catholics of the GLBTIAQ n relate to.Catholic AnswerNot per se, the sats that would be ed this stance would be those who were well-known for personal chasty. The sat most often voked as a patron for male chasty is St. Joseph, hband of the Blsed Virg Mary. Others who uld be nsired would be St. Augte of Hippo, who led a very promiscuo life before his nversn (his motto at the time was, "Lord, grant me chasty, but not yet." For women, the Blsed Mother, and St. Maria Goretti, who fought to her ath rather than allow an attack on her chasty. * gay patron saint *
Several relig anizatn, s cludg the Natnal Anglin Catholic Church and Integry the Epispal Church the Uned Stat have regnized Aelred as the patron sat of such gay-iendly groups as the Orr of St.
An abbot medieval France, Bernard of Clairvz mataed a lengthy personal relatnship wh the archbishop Malachy, acrdg to gay liberatn theologian Richard Cleaver. Boris would go on to hold special signifince for gay Christians bee of his apparently romantic relatnship wh his servant, Gee the Hungarian. This 16th-century Spanish sat was prone to g homoerotic imagery poetry exprsg his love of Christ, most notably his poem "On a Dark Night.
WHO IS THE PATRON SAT OF GAYS AND LBIANS?
By that terpretatn, such scripture as referenc to the disciple reclg upon the bosom of the Lord have spired homoerotic art pictg the relatnship between Christ and John as romantic. This is the view explored Martti Nissen and Kirsi Stjerna's Homoeroticism the Biblil World: A Historil Perspective. The 19th-century Brish subversive scholar was beatified 2010, spe speculatn that he may well have been gay.
Consired the ma patron sat of gays by many, Sebastian was martyred Rome the year 288 on the orrs of Emperor Dcletian.
THE LGBT AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: A SECRET HISTORY OF GAY SATS
While no tal actually exist providg rmatn about Sebastian's love life or sexual orientatn, the fact so much Renaissance art picts him homoerotic pos monstrat a strong nnectn to LGBT people. Y, the Good Kg Wencls, a sat and a de, also was likely gay. The wrgs ma reference to such classil gay figur as Adonis and Ganyme.
SAT SEBASTIAN AS A GAY IN
Is he the Catholic Church’s first openly gay sat?
The answer to that qutn pends on your fns of “openly, ” “gay, ” and “first. Many tradnalist Newman scholars refute the ia that this was a gay relatnship.
Ian Ker, one of the foremost Newman scholars, says that the relatnship was not homosexual bee, by all acunts, the two were celibate.
WHEN I ME OUT AS A GAY CATHOLIC, SATS AUGTE AND MONI HELPED ME GROW CLOSER TO MY MOM — AND GOD
Other scholars believe that to ll the uple gay is readg our own 21st century ias to 19th century phenomena. I agree that is not right to terpret a past relatnship terms of today’s morn awarens of homosexualy.
But that’s where we need to qutn what we might mean by “gay” and “openly. John were not gay bee is apparent that they were celibate. Ker’s prumptn then is that “gay” means “sexually active.
GAY JU PRIT CALLS FOR CHURCH TO REGNIZE LGBTQ+ SATS
Of urse, the two men uld be gay and have had a strong affectnate and timate relatnship whout beg sexually active, jt as many gay men the prithood and relig life today mata their promis and vows of celibacy. Many gay lay also live their liv by choosg not to be sexually timate wh someone.
That don’t make them ls gay. Defendg Newman’s non-homosexualy by sayg that the prit was affectnate relatnships wh both men and women tri to expla away Newman’s love for St. While some people thk that homophobia agast gay men om a revulsn about male sex acts, I thk that for many people the more horrifyg and sndalo phenomenon is men beg emotnally sensive, tenr, and affectnate wh one another.
Of urse, such gentle and timate rpons by men is only a problem if one suffers om tense homophobia or believ the enforcement of strict genr expectatns that men should not be emotnal and rg toward one another.