As a practicing Catholic, I was deeply disturbed by Thursday’s cover story (“Gays, Church focus of talk”). Apparently my views are at odds with the Church, a fact which, though unsurprising, deeply saddens me. To say that the message of the Church is “surrounded by compassion” while making repeated reference to homosexuality as a disease or disorder is the worst sort of hypocrisy. I for one am ashamed that my spiritual leaders would promote such bigotry, especially during Lent. Nothing about this attitude is compassionate. Compassion means “suffering together”, not looking down from a position of moral superiority. Furthermore, masturbation, fornication, and adultery, which Father Philip Merdinger discussed, are common among heterosexuals. To imply that these behaviors exist exclusively in the gay community is absurd. As for the charge that homosexual relationships are not valid unions because they are not “open to life”, this also can be said of many heterosexual couples. What about infertile couples? Those who are too old to reproduce? Those who choose to remain childless by practicing the Church-sanctioned method of “natural family planning”? Even Humanae Vitae condones this by supporting the “rhythm method” (a forerunner of “natural family planning”). While I understand that many people are not fully comfortable with the idea of homosexuality, excluding homosexuals from the Church or treating them as unworthy human beings is simply despicable. Is homosexuality a sin? I certainly don’t think so. But I was under the impression that only God is supposed to pass judgment anyway. Patricia Hyland CFA 2006 (617)352-5185