Segregation of LGBTIQ people within the Church should end, according to spiritual director Charlo Camilleri, who believes this community is now struggling with self-imposed social constraints.
While LGBTIQ persons had succeeded in escaping various social constructs on a larger scale, some were instead “going into a cage of social constructs created by the gay movement”, Dr Camilleri, who is the executive director of the Carmelite Institute Malta, said yesterday.
Speaking during the second edition of the annual conference by voluntary organisation Drachma which focused on the theme ‘Seeking the well-being of LGBTIQ persons’, he urged them not to be “slaves of the social constructs the gay movement had created”.
Dr Camilleri went on to argue that while integration within the Church had become much easier, he often struggled to find role models for LGBTIQ people looking for inspiration.
“One of the challenges that I face as a spiritual director who works closely with those within the community, is that I often find it difficult to pinpoint to the proper role models.
What is the image that the community is promoting to a society that is becoming more tolerant?
“The question is, what is the image that the community is promoting to a society that is becoming more tolerant?” Dr Camilleri asked those at the conference.
He warned against succumbing to sub-cultures as this could be dangerous, adding that it could potentially taint all positive work carried out by those who fought for basic rights for everyone.
While the Church had become more accepting of LGBTIQ persons, Dr Camilleri said that not many of them were turning to the Church.
It was a shame that a handful who expressed homophobia were tarnishing the work of many, adding that more needed to be done to educate society in order to ensure that there was both acceptance and tolerance.
These were two distinct elements, he went on, adding that society was more tolerant but had not yet become accepting.
While saying that the Church should promote this notion, it was also up to those within the LGBTIQ community to provide a model of Christian discipleship.
“Today, we claim to be more tolerant but in reality it seems as though nobody is truly sure of what situation we are in, be it society in general as well as those who form part of the LGBTIQ community,” Dr Camilleri added.
Laws do not make a culture, he insisted, and so while introducing measures that safeguarded people’s rights was pertinent, it was also crucial to ensure that society was well-educated and that there was a shift from tolerance to acceptance.