STOP the sacrilege of the “Pink Celebration” in Roermond
Appeal to Mgr Van den Hout
We urge you to sign this petition addressed to Mgr. Dr. Ron van den Hout, Bishop of Roermond, requesting that the foundation “Een Brug Bouwen” (Building a Bridge) led by Pastor Harry Notermans be suspended and that the traditional Catholic teaching on the sinfulness of homosexual acts be publicly affirmed — in all its clarity, splendour and orthodoxy.
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To our deep regret, the foundation Een Brug Bouwen (Building a Bridge), led by Pastor Harry Notermans, is organising a so-called “Pink Celebration” on 24 May in the Kapel in 't Zand in Roermond, as part of the Roermond Pride programme. This is openly announced on their website.1
This is not a one-off incident. Last year, the same priest organised a so-called “Catholic service entirely dedicated to LGBTQIA+ acceptance within the Church”, held at the ECI Cultuurfabriek in Roermond. 2
That service officially opened the first Roermond Pride Week – a continuation of what has been known in the Netherlands since 14 April 1979 as the “gay demonstration”.
These celebrations are not a testimony of mercy, but a gross deception of the faithful. A priest who uses his ministry to openly promote a lifestyle that the Church continues to label as objectively sinful is not acting in the service of Christ, but undermining the salvation of the souls entrusted to him.
The moral offensive being imposed on the Church under the banner of “inclusivity” and “acceptance” is being driven by groups that falsely claim to speak on behalf of the Church. Building a Bridge, the Working Group of Catholic Gay Pastors and other LGBT activist networks abuse the language of faith to legitimise and even celebrate sexual sins. They distort doctrine, weaken the moral compass of the faithful, and expose the Church to public ridicule and internal division. They must therefore be held accountable for their responsibility: teaching and promoting a moral disruption that is contrary to the truth of the Gospel. The holy, catholic and apostolic Church has been appointed by Christ himself as the guardian of natural law and of Divine Revelation. She is like a caring mother who guides her children to true happiness: life in accordance with God's will and commandments.
The Church's teaching on homosexual acts is unambiguous:
“Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that ‘homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.’ They are contrary to natural law.” 3
Pastor Notermans demonstrates his open rejection of this clear and authoritative teaching. The question must therefore be asked loud and clear: how is it possible that a priest who acts so flagrantly contrary to the teaching of the Church continues to use the sacred space publicly for ideological purposes?
As early as 1986, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger spoke on behalf of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith about this ideological confusion:
"Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder. [...] A truly pastoral approach will appreciate the need for homosexual persons to avoid the near occasions of sin. [...] An essential dimension of authentic pastoral care is the identification of causes of confusion regarding the Church's teaching".4
This vigilance is more necessary today than ever before. Let us not remain silent, but as faithful sons and daughters of the Church, bear witness to the truth, in love for Christ, His teachings and the salvation of souls.
Non possumus: We cannot but resist this gross deception within the House of God.
Footnotes:
Yes, I'll sign this petition
Your Excellency Mgr. Van den Hout,
As a devout Catholic, I can only express my astonishment and indignation at the sacrileges being committed in your diocese.
The reading group “Building a Bridge”, led by Father Harry Notermans, openly supports a homosexual lifestyle, which is described in the Catechism of the Catholic Church as “intrinsically disordered and contrary to natural law”.
I strongly protest against the “Pink Celebration” as part of the Roermond Pride programme and call on you to do everything in your power to ensure that such celebrations no longer take place in your diocese and, in particular, to explain in detail to all the competent authorities of the diocese why such celebrations are contrary to Catholic morality and Catholic teaching and why this is a blasphemous event.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
You are indispensable in this struggle.
Please share this petition as widely as possible.