text: The Church has just nailed the coffin on getting more priests with the homophobic statement about gays.   What, may I ask, does it mean to "support the gay culture??"   This sends a clear message to me that GLBT people are not really welcome in the Church.  It should come as no surprise that in the U.S., for every one Catholic convert, more than six Catholics leave the church. Taken a step further, Catholicism loses more members than it gains at a higher rate than any other denomination, with nearly 13 percent of all Americans describing themselves as “former Catholics.”  I am proud to consider myself among that number.