John Francis Harvey OSFS (April 14, 1918 – December 27, 2010) was a Catholic priest, a moral theologian, an educator and the founder of the DeSales School Theology in Washington, DC.
[1][2] His opinions and ideas were expressed in written works in his effort to help the long-time problem of homosexuality in the Church conflicting with moral, Catholic teaching.
[8] During this time he also served as a visiting professor at several institutions, including Catholic Theological Union in Sydney, Australia, the St. Joseph Seminary of the Archdiocese of New York, and Seton Hall University in New Jersey.
[10] He took on teaching duties at the Oblate House of Studies at The Catholic University of America, in Washington, D.C. until it was closed in 1997 due to a lack of candidates for the priesthood.
The term "same-sex attracted" is often preferred by Catholics like him because they feel "gay" or "lesbian" is defining a person by their orientation inadvisably.
[18] In 1992, Crisis Magazine interviewed Harvey about remarks he made at a U.S. Bishops' Workshop in 1990, where he argued that "most [priests who sexually abuse minors] should be rehabilitated and returned to ministry".
He died on December 27, 2010, at Union Hospital in Elkton, Maryland, and was survived by his sister, Margaret Smith, and an extended family.
He was buried on December 31, 2010, at the Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales Cemetery, in Childs, Cecil County, Maryland.