John J. McNeill

About the author: John J. McNeill is an ordained Roman Catholic priest and a practicing psychotherapist. His refusal to stop ministering to gay men and lesbians resulted in his expulsion from the Society of Jesus in 1987. He is the author of The Church and the Homosexual, Taking a Chance on God, and Freedom, Glorious Freedom: The Spiritual Journey to the Fullness of Life for Gays, Lesbians, and Everybody Else.

The need for human companionship can be fulfilled in a gay relationship as well as in a heterosexual one. The Christian church has a long history of sanctioning same-sex marriages. These ancient ceremonies—the same ones used to bless heterosexual marriages —allowed gay couples to affirm their love for each other. If same-sex marriage ceremonies were more widely accepted, more gay couples...