Stefanick noted in his video that "Pride" events, in their origin, were largely about speaking up against just that - unjust discrimination and harsh treatment towards LGBT people.
"I agree with the Catechism on that because I'm a devout, card-carrying Catholic. If that's all that 'Pride' parades were about, I would show up, I would march in one, and I would have a t-shirt that said 'Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2358.' Right? Because it would be a Catechism of the Catholic Church 2358 parade!" he said.
But "Pride Parades" today encompass a much larger agenda than anti-discrimination, Stefanick said.
"They're largely funded by, supported by, attended by, the secular LGBT agenda. And while one sliver of what they're standing for and pushing against in society is upholding the dignity of the person, which I would agree with, there's a whole lot more that they're pushing for that's directly against my faith," he said.
In follow-up comments to CNA via email, Stefanick said that that video cost him a donor, who accused Stefanick of being unloving for his opposition to attending Pride events. In a subsequent email to that donor, Stefanick reiterated that he was attempting to approach the issue out of love for all people, and in line with his faith.
"So much confusion exists around this issue," Stefanick said.
"And that confusion is often perpetuated by people in Church leadership who add to the world's perception that anything said with clarity is hateful and hurtful and bigoted. It's perpetuated by people who refuse to clarify which aspects of the LGBT movement we agree with, and which ones we have to absolutely reject...not because we're moralists, but because Jesus Christ is the fulfillment and happiness we're looking for, and nothing else will do!"
How to love without compromise
Courage is a Catholic organization for people with same-sex attraction and for those who love them. It supports them in leading a chaste life and building community and deep friendships with others in the Church who support them.
Courage is active in about two-thirds of the Catholic dioceses of the U.S., as well as in multiple other countries, with more than 150 Courage Chapters and just under 100 Encourage Chapters. Encourage is the apostolate for relatives and loved ones of people who identify as LGBT.
Fr. Philip Bochanski, the executive director of Courage, told CNA that Catholics should keep in mind that Pride events "were originally meant to draw attention to unjust discrimination and harsh and sometimes even violent treatment against people because of their sexual attractions and their understanding of their sexual identity."
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"And so the idea that we ought to call that out and condemn it is simple. That's something that The Church is fully in agreement with," he said, also referencing CCC 2358.
"And a letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith from 1986 goes even further and says: 'It's deplorable that homosexual people have been and are the object of violence malice in speech and in action, and that such behavior deserves condemnation from the Church's pastors whenever it occurs,'" Bochanski added.
"The Church has always been in agreement that people who are living with these experiences should not be discriminated against unjustly and should not be treated with malice or violence," he said.
But the Church also teaches that the answer to the unjust treatment of people identifying as LGBT "is not to change the Church's teaching or to say that homosexual relationships are good or moral, but the answer really should be to teach the truth more clearly about the dignity of the human person, and call all of our brothers and sisters to a life in holiness which always includes the virtue of chastity, among the other virtues," he said.
Bochanski added that he has some Catholic friends, many of whom are involved in the Courage apostolate, who attend Pride events -- though not as participants or marchers.
"They're there along the route offering words of encouragement about God's love and the inherent dignity of every person, talking about the virtue of chastity, offering people friendship and support and if they'd like to know more about what the Catholic Church teaches about same-sex attraction, offering them support if they want to understand what chastity means and how to embrace it."