Jobert E. Abueva left the Church when the Vatican said (again) that the Church can't bless same-sex relationships. “The church slams the door right at our faces.” But what if he never quite understood the Church he's left?   It was heartbreaking to read the recent piece by Jobert E. Abueva for the Philadelphia Inquirer, "Why I’m finally done with the Catholic Church." He’s responding to the Vatican’s reaffirmation of Catholic teaching about marriage, that the Church can’t bless same-sex unions. “For the church to claim that my sexuality as my choice equates to choosing to sin is a step too far,” he writes. “… The harsh, if not hostile, message toward the LGBTQ community is a tough pill to swallow for gay Catholics in America and the world over who have long had to walk the tightrope of our beliefs against a doctrine that continually turns a cold shoulder on this one aspect of who we are as holistic beings.” While society recognizes the right to marry someone of the same sex, “the church slams the door right at our faces.” Before commenting on the piece, I should call to mind two spiritual facts. First, we are dealing with a real human person with real human pains. We can understand why he feels this teaching so strongly. Abueva, with so many more like him, needs our prayers. Second, we are dealing with more than human realities. Our dispute is also with principalities and powers. We should pray against all the damnable lies of the Evil One that lead any of Christ's flock astray. Many of us have our own teachings we don’t want to believe. To me, what is most notable about Abueva's account is something it shares in common with many essays I've read by "ex-Catholics" -- something which is also in stark contrast with accounts I've read of converts to the Faith over the years. That element is the amount of theological content -- or, rather, the lack thereof.