Catholics and Same-Sex Marriage

David O'Brien, professor of Roman Catholic studies at Holy Cross, had this op-ed on Sunday regarding Catholics and same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. Two great points: 1) when we're talking about same-sex marriage, the real issue is same-sex sex...it's often the first thing people think of it, and its the real crux of the issue. 2) O'Brien writes about what many of us know has already been happening for some time: while official teaching is staying in one place, on the ground, more and more people are talking with and listening to the experiences of same-sex couples. A particularly well-phrased paragraph:

So, too, in most Catholic conversations, among people and pastors when bishops aren't listening, you hear about persons, sons or daughters, neighbors or friends. Often the story will be about how a particular gay person, like so many straight people, moved beyond immature behavior and found a partner, with whom he or she seemed to have a deep, committed, faithful relationship, and how that person now seems to flourish.