Charlotte Diocese being watched

The December 2004 issue of The New Oxford Review carries a New Oxford Note by editor Dale Vree about an incident that allegedly occurred in the Diocese of Charlotte this past summer. Vree cites a letter to the Bishop of Charlotte from Joe Ecclesia (no doubt a pseudonym) printed in the July 2004 issue of Chronicles. Beginning with "Your Excellency," the letter says:

Recently, I read in our diocesan newspaper of the "gay and lesbian Mass" offered at St. Peter's Church in Charlotte. According to the article, this Mass was a means of comforting those who have been ostracized by the Church.... Msgr. Richard Allen, who received a standing ovation for his homily, called gays and lesbians "heroes." His remarks made me wonder if I had taken the right path by marrying and raising a family....

Vree comments:

You may have seen the bumper strip, "Gay Rights Aren't Special rights." Whether you agree or disagree, "gay rights" are definitely special rights (and rites) in the Catholic Church. In many dioceses there are "Gay and Lesbian Masses." My, how does one get to be so special!