Bishops to Methodist members: Discuss LGBT issues openly

For the first time, bishops of the United Methodist Church have called on its clergy and lay members to start openly discussing the issue of human sexuality, including the controversial issues concerning the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community.

“We, the College of Bishops of the United Methodist Church (UMC) in the Philippines, would like to take a stand on the issue of human sexuality,” Manila Episcopal Area Bishop Rodolfo A. Juan said in an interview Friday during the Consultation on Social Principles held in Calamba, Laguna.

Juan, however, reminded his flock “to openly discuss this issue with caution because it can be divisive.”

He admitted that a number of clergy and lay members may not be ready for this type of discussion, but he expressed hope that most of them “will eventually join the open-minded discussion on human sexuality.”

“In the beginning, some may not be ready for even a conversation,” the bishop said. “But I believe it’s just a matter of time.”
                                                                                                                                                   ^{Bishop Juan}
Davao Episcopal Area Bishop Ciriaco Francisco earlier commented during a plenary session of the consultation that the UMC should stop talking about human sexuality in whispers but, instead, “discuss the controversial issue in the open.”

“I believe the UMC’s young people should spearhead this effort since they understand the human sexuality’s present trends and concepts better than anyone in the church,” Francisco said.


The issue of human sexuality was one of the many topics that were discussed during the first day of the two-day consultation, which was organized by the General Board of Church and Society (GBCS).

The Washington DC-based church agency gathered a select group of some 40 Filipino United Methodist clergy and lay to take a critical look at the UMC’s document that guides the church’s participation and intervention in social issues.


^{Bishop Francisco}

Retired Bishop Daniel Arichea Jr. said it’s about time the Methodist community tackle the contentious subject.

“I think this is the appropriate time, especially that the young people are hungry for the church leadership’s acceptance of this thing,” Arichea said.

“What happened tonight (the call of two current bishops) was a very good thing,” he said. “For the first time, this issue is discussed openly in a forum.”

He said the UMC must approach this matter from a biblical perspective, pointing out that “at the end, people will return to what the Bible says.”
                                                                                                                    ^{Bishop Arichea}
— Fort Nicolas Jr /LBG, GMA News