Cupich told O'Connell about his experience of the meeting and the synod's synthesis document, published Oct. 29.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

O'Connell: What is your overall take on the synthesis document?

Cupich: The document is not as important as the experience that we had. I think the document tries to convey that experience. And it does a good job.

But my hope would be that we are able to take that experience back home and share it with our people because that really is what the synod is about. It's a new way of being Church.

At the same time, the document does call for a codification of synods in the future [being] done along these lines, rather than going back to what we did before.

That's a very important statement, made loud and clear in this document.

We were aware that there are people in the life of the Church and in synod hall who had their doubts about synodality itself as a model for Church life.

There were calls to develop [that model], theologically, so that we're clear about this.

But there was no doubt whatsoever that this is not only a new way that the Church is going to function, but, in fact, [that it is] tapping into the roots of our tradition.

The Church has been synodal from the very beginning. What we're doing is recapturing something that can serve us well in this moment.

O'Connell: You participated in past synods. How has the fact that you have non-bishops voting changed things?

Cupich Instead of having bishops say, "This is what our people are saying," in the old synods, which we tried to do our best to do, we actually had people there.

Young people, elderly people, religious men and women, who, in fact, were on the ground in pastoral ministry, who gave voice in ways that were fresh, were challenging, and in ways that maybe a bishop could not say before.

There was an actual paragraph that was passed overwhelmingly about non-bishops being a part of this: Does it in some way take away from the understanding that it's a Synod of Bishops?

And there was a resounding acceptance that non-bishops should be a part of it because it's not a threat.

It allows the bishops to have that immediate interaction with the voice of the whole church.

That's important. It was pointed out to me that if you look at the votes and you strip away all of the non-bishops who were a part of the synod, the propositions still pass by 75 percent.

O'Connell: But even in this document, they talk about the need to clarify whether this is a Synod of Bishops or an assembly of bishops. Some people raised objections.

Cupich: They did, but I think that there were some propositions that said very clearly that non-bishops should be a part of [the process] going forward in the future.

O'Connell: So you see no going back.

Cupich: I don't think there's a need to go back. We have made some real progress here, and the bishops enjoyed having lay people there.

It wasn't [simply] tolerating it. Maybe there were some voices that had difficulties with it because they wanted it to be all bishops [but] very few.

By and large, the bishops interacted really well with lay people at the tables.

O'Connell: One of the big developments in this document is the role of women in the church.

Cupich: We're talking about a real paradigm shift here.

We recognise the fact that women, de facto, carry the life of the Church, on so many levels, to make it operational on a day-to-day basis.

But I think it's more than recognising that; it's dealing also with how you include women in important decision making, how you place them within the life of the community so that their leadership is regarded, respected and protected.

[The document] talks about different ministries that might be created to do that. I know that there was a lot of discussion about women deacons, and that was not resolved here.

But it was very clear that the assembly called for a study and hopefully that we would have the results by the next [synod meeting]. I imagine it's going to be taken up again.

But it's not only about [making] everything about women deacons.

There has to be another way in which we respect that women bring a particular gift to the life of the church, that if absent, impoverishes the church.

How do we take advantage of their gifts and charisms? That's an agenda that's not complete yet. Continue reading

The recently published final document guides the church in the coming 11 months and, while not as concrete as some might like, it highlights the role of bishops in leading the change and calls bishops to "bear witness" to their experience of synodality.

"After a month of work, now the Lord is calling us to return to our Churches to pass on to all of you the fruits of our work and to continue the journey together," says the Synod Synthesis.

Dialogue rather than diatribe

Passing on the fruits of the Synod's work is a point reinforced by new Archbishop George Leo Thomas who, in discussing the pope's reforms and synodality, said:

"As you observe the leadership style of Pope Francis, you will quickly note his preference for dialogue over diatribe, persuasion over polemic, invitation over invective and accompaniment over alienation.

"A style of leadership that pays high dividends in our highly polarised and contentious world. This, and so much more, is the Holy Father we know and love."

Replicate the experience

Another key insight came from Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich's interview with America magazine.

"I have said before that the bishops of the Second Vatican Council only brought back the decisions. They never shared with us the experience or replicated it.

"I think we have an opportunity now to replicate the experience we've had here in the next 11 months. Then to come back and be able to share what it is that the people of God had said to us when they have experienced a synodal process the way we did," Cupich said.

Bishops to 'step up'

Michael Sean Winters in his piece for NCR notes that, while specific proposals remain somewhat ambiguous, a lot depends on the diocesan bishop.

He quotes from the synthesis document.

"The conviction with which the bishop himself adopts a synodal approach and the style by which he exercises authority will influence decisively how priests and deacons, lay men and women, and those in consecrated life participate in the synodal process.

"The bishop is called to be an example of synodality for all."

At the end of the Synod, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the synod's relator general, said the synodal synthesis document is entrusted to the bishops' conferences so that they may promote its return to the people of God living in the local Churches.

"The process starts, really starts, at the end of the [whole] synod," Hollerich told journalists.

Sources

National Catholic Reporter

Catholic News Agency

As the organ's melodies filled the air, gay and lesbian congregants came together and raised their voices in hymns that resonated so strongly that they drowned out the approximately 20 anti-LGBTQ+ protesters outside the church doors.

The protesters prayed the rosary together and urged LGBTQ+ individuals to abandon their identities or convert to heterosexuality.

For over three decades, the Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach ministry has organised weekly LGBTQ+ masses.

This particular Sunday marked the 35th anniversary of their congregation, and Cardinal Cupich honoured them by presiding over the Mass.

During the service, Cupich emphasised the importance of community and unity among Christians and the LGBTQ+ community.

Although the cardinal did not explicitly use terms like "gay" or "LGBTQ" in his 10-minute homily, he conveyed a message of love and acceptance, drawing from the gospels' narratives about individuals who, in moments of grace, recognise the depth of God's love for them.

LGBTQ+ marginalised in the Church

The LGBTQ+ Mass organised by the Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach (AGLO) ministry has become a safe space for many, offering respite from years of repression experienced within the Church.

However, some individuals feel that these inclusive services and the cardinal's homily fall short of addressing the systemic issues perpetuating the marginalisation of LGBTQ+ people within the Church.

Official Church teachings prohibit same-sex marriage and bar gay men from pursuing the priesthood, and LGBTQ+ individuals have faced discrimination, termination and exclusion from sacraments in Catholic institutions across the country.

While some praised Cupich's presence at the Mass as a significant step towards inclusivity, others remained sceptical, expressing the need for total inclusion and an end to the Church's differentiation of the LGBTQ+ population.

Cupich's office released a statement before the Mass noting that AGLO Chicago had made considerable progress in spreading the Good News of Jesus among Catholics and creating a welcoming faith community for LGBTQ+ individuals.

The statement emphasised the Catholic belief that everyone is created in the image and likeness of God and should be treated with respect, kindness and gentleness.

Sources

Book Club Chicago

Chicago Sun-Times

CathNews New Zealand

During his visit to the Vatican, where he serves as a close adviser to Pope Francis, Cardinal Cupich spoke to The Associated Press about his disappointment in learning about the 125 new cases through the state-wide investigative report released on Tuesday.

He emphasised that the attorney general's office had not forwarded the new claims to the archdiocese for further investigation, as they had done during the five-year inquiry.

"We thought we had that kind of relationship with the attorney general and so are disappointed that we're hearing these for the first time," expressed Cupich.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul's investigation revealed that approximately 450 Catholic clergy members in Illinois' six dioceses had sexually abused nearly 2,000 children since 1950.

A far worse situation

This extensive report unveiled a far worse situation than previously acknowledged by the church in 2018 when the state's review commenced. The Archdiocese of Chicago, the third largest in the United States, reported 68 abusive clergy members in 2018.

However, as the investigation progressed, more names were added to the list, bringing the total to 150 prior to Tuesday's release.

The report by Attorney General Raoul uncovered an additional 125 abusers within the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Many of these offenders belonged to religious orders whose cases may not have been under the direct jurisdiction of the archdiocese.

Furthermore, it is possible that some victims chose to bypass the church altogether and report their claims directly to the attorney general's investigators.

Cardinal Cupich conveyed his willingness to include the newly uncovered names on his list but stressed the need for information on how Raoul's investigators substantiated the claims.

He stated that the archdiocese required an understanding of the investigative process before taking further action.

"I can assure the public this: If these cases are substantiated and we're given the information of how it was done, we will put them on our website," asserted Cupich during the interview.

Compensation process to continue unchanged

In response to another recommendation calling for an independent mediation and compensation process for victims, similar to those established by the archdioceses of Los Angeles and New York, Cardinal Cupich was more defensive.

Cupich argued against outsourcing the compensation process, as it would hinder the church's ability to provide pastoral care to victims. However, he reassured the public that the current process, which has been in place for years, would be continued.

"My concern about contracting this out to a separate third party is that we turn ourselves into a business, not a church," Cupich explained.

Sources

US News

CathNews New Zealand

The investigation contends 451 Catholic clergy have sexually abused nearly 2,000 children in Illinois between 1950 and 2019, with Attorney General Kwame Raoul saying the number of abused children is considerably larger than the 103 individuals the church named when the state review began in 2018.

However, the Chicago Cardinal says the Archdiocese has reported all allegations of child sexual abuse by clergy to Civil Authorities, no matter when the abuse is alleged to have occurred.

In a statement distributed on YouTube, Cupich says, "There are no hidden or undisclosed cases."

"Further, we have worked with and encouraged religious orders, who have full and exclusive access and rights to their files, to publish lists of their members with substantiated allegations."

"Our website lists religious order priests who have ministered for the Archdiocese and were found by their orders to have substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse no matter where and when the abuse occurred."

Raoul also accuses Illinois Catholic church leaders of being slow to acknowledge the extent of the abuse and of frequently dragging their feet to confront accused clergy.

He says Catholic church leaders failed to warn parishioners about possible abusers in their midst - sometimes waiting even decades after allegations emerged about a clergy member, but Cupich takes the opportunity to point out that a number of clergy listed in the Attorney's report are dead.

"It is my hope that this report will shine light both on those who violated their positions of power and trust to abuse innocent children and on the men in church leadership who covered up that abuse," says Raoul.

However, Cupich contends, "No cleric with even one substantiated allegation of sexual abuse of a minor against him is currently serving in the Archdiocese of Chicago."

Cupich says that since 2006, the diocese has maintained a public list of clerics of the Archdiocese with a substantiated allegation of sexual abuse of a minor against them.

Please explain

Cupich notes that the Illinois Attorney General's report states the Archdiocese of Chicago has taken the lead in the USA and beyond to meet "this societal challenge".

However, he is confused that the Attorney General's report names individuals who are not on the Archdiocese's list.

Cupich says the Attorney General has failed to explain the basis by which allegations against the additional individuals were substantiated or deemed credible and by whom.

Not content on calling out the Attorney on his lack of transparency, Cupich continues saying: "We have asked repeatedly that we be informed of any cases discovered by or disclosed to the Attorney General's office, yet we saw new unexplained names in this report."

"Further, we (the Chicago Archdiocese) have continued to improve on our initial efforts over three decades by dedicating significant resources to creating best practices for protecting children promoting healing and preventing abuse in our church."

Personal comment

Shifting the focus to make a personal comment, Cupich says the actions of "those who wore the Roman collar [who] egregiously violated their vows and the trust of their people by abusing God's little ones is not only repugnant but painful for me and my brothers in the priesthood."

He says he has made it his personal mission to take a leadership position in the Archdiocese to bring about an end to this scourge, to heal victim-survivors, and to protect children.

He says he hopes the report will cause the Attorney General to issue a rallying cry to all adults to join in the work of safeguarding children lest this moment be a lost opportunity.

Taking the conversation further, Cupich adds, "I have always been convinced that children in the church and society will only be safe if the entire adult world unites in this common cause.

"I stand ready to continue to do my part. Please join me in praying for the healing of victims and the protection of God's children everywhere," concludes Cupich.

The Chicago Archdiocese is one of six dioceses in Illinois.

Source

• NCROnline
• America Magazine

Citing the need for the Catholic Church to "lead by example" and act responsibly to protect others during the coronavirus pandemic, Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso has said that all Church employees and ministry volunteers must be vaccinated.

"For the sake our brothers and sisters, I am requiring all those who are employed by the Church and all those who perform Church ministries including, but not limited to, catechists and Eucharistic ministers to be vaccinated," the bishop wrote.

Those who cannot be vaccinated due to "particular health issues" may seek an exemption, he said.

Board members at the National Catholic Bioethics Center have told CNA that Cardinal Blase Cupich has urged that the center retract its guidance against mandated immunization.

The board members who spoke with CNA said that they would oppose the change they say the cardinal is seeking.

One of the board members told CNA, "I think everyone should be vaccinated. Catholics should be the first to give a good example. There are legal precedents in which the state has mandated vaccines in extreme circumstances, but the conscience of religious people should be respected."

Mary Haddad, RSM, the CEO and president of the Catholic Health Association, agrees that more must be done now to halt the advance of the Delta variant.

"I believe that there is a moral responsibility for all in health care professions to be vaccinated, period," she said.

"I feel very strongly about that because you are potentially putting others at risk because of your inability to protect yourself and to do what you can in order to mitigate this increasing surge."

Catholic seminaries in the northeast of the USA are requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for their seminarians before the coming semester begins.

Mt Saint Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland is one of the colleges requiring students and seminarians to be vaccinated before coming to campus in August 2021.

At St John's Seminary in Boston, vice rector Fr. Thomas Macdonald said seminarians are "expected" to be vaccinated.

The job of a priest requires being close to the people, Macdonald noted. He told CNA that a priest needs access to places that house vulnerable people such as nursing homes.

St. John's is allowing seminarians to opt out of vaccination, but the seminarian must explain his reasoning for doing so.

The Holy Father was unambiguous in a January interview, "I believe that morally everyone must take the vaccine. It is the moral choice because it is about your life but also the lives of others."

Sources

Catholic News Agency

America Magazine

Catholic News Agency

The US bishops are drafting new guidance on the abortion-communion issue, which they expect to release in November.

Their decision to vote about this matter flouts a letter from the Vatican in May.

The letter explicitly urged the bishops to avoid the vote.

The decision also disregards Francis's pleas for them to de-emphasise culture war issues and expand the scope of their mission to climate change, migration and poverty.

The US bishops' vote resulted in a large majority - 168-55 - agreeing to begin drafting guidance on the sacrament of the Eucharist at the bishops' virtual meeting last Friday. Six bishops abstained from the process.

Although the guidance's details have not been divulged, it is assumed that conservative leaders in the U.S. church will use it as a vehicle to deny communion to prominent Catholics who support abortion rights. Biden is one such Catholic.

Church law, however, says for the bishops to pass a doctrinal declaration on banning communion, the conference needs either unanimous support - and at this stage not all US bishops are in agreement. The alternative is for the bishops to have two-thirds support and the Vatican's approval.

Vatican approval seems unlikely.

"It's not going to get to that point," says a senior Vatican official with knowledge of the thinking inside the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the church's doctrinal watchdog.

Biden, who attended Mass on Sunday (pictured) and was named several times during the bishops' debate, says whether he is allowed to receive holy communion is a "private matter".

He agrees with the Vatican that it's unlikely to happen.

The grave issue of Friday's vote is that it particularly threatens the unity of the American church itself.

"Bishops now want to talk about excluding people at a time when the real challenge before them is welcoming people back to the regular practice of the faith, and rebuilding their communities," Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich says.

Another critic, NCR's Michael Sean Winters takes particular aim at USCBC President Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez.

"If you look to Gomez for leadership, you are going to be severely disappointed.

"When he was named to Los Angeles in 2010, I held out hope that his pastoral instincts would triumph over the culture warrior attitudes of some of his colleagues. I was wrong.

"Gomez has led the bishops to this point.

"His inability to stand up to the bullies in the conference has crippled it.

"Now, this man who once said, 'There are no single-issue saints,' has allowed the conference to descend into a functional schism.

A Vatican spokesperson commented that Francis understood that only time would change the composition of the American Bishops conference and put the American church in alignment with Rome.

"There has to be a biological solution," he said.

"Francis has to wait for them to retire."

Source

• People
• National Catholic Reporter
• NY Times
• NCR
• Image: NY Times

"It's good to be home," the 72 year old Pfleger told a raucous congregation at St. Sabina Church in Auburn Gresham.

The audience included director Spike Lee and acting Chicago Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt.

Pfleger was removed from active ministry at the Auburn Gresham parish in January after he was accused of sexually abusing a minor more than 40 years ago.

Later that month, the brother of Pfleger's first accuser came forward with his own allegations.

Then in March, a 59-year-old man came forward to bolster the brothers' claims, alleging Pfleger molested him in the rectory at St. Sabina when he was 18.

Following an investigation into the claims of child sex abuse involving the brothers, Cardinal Blase Cupich sent a letter to St. Sabina's congregation May 24 announcing the independent review board of the Chicago Archdiocese "concluded that there is insufficient reason to suspect Father Pfleger is guilty of these allegations."

Gene Hollander, the brothers' attorney, called it "unfathomable" that Pfleger was cleared to return to St. Sabina, claiming the evidence against the priest was "overwhelming."

"You had three victims attesting to sexual abuse with independent corroborating evidence,"

Hollander said on Sunday. His clients, however, still haven't decided whether to file a lawsuit.

Meanwhile, Pfleger told churchgoers he'd continue to pray for both his accusers and those who revelled in the controversy.

He claimed the "false accusations began with an extortion letter" and resulted in a traumatic whirlwind in which he was pulled away from his home and his church.

"The last five months have been a painful nightmare. They've been the most extended period of pain in my life," he said, noting there was little he could do but profess his innocence.

But on Sunday, Pfleger was reinvigorated, vowing to recommit to the community organizing and advocacy for social justice and gun violence that has made him a folk hero.

Pfleger was met with a hero's welcome, and members of the congregation were overjoyed about his return.

Joyce Matlbia, who lives in Flossmoor and has been a member of the congregation for 11 years, said it's "so awesome to have him back."

"He just cares," Maltbia said, noting that Pfleger runs a food distribution program and that St. Sabina will soon become a COVID-19 vaccination center.

"Watching him be him helps me to be a better me."

After greeting a stream of parishioners after the service, Pfleger told reporters it was "a blessing to be back and to be with people who stayed with you, walked with you, believed in you."

"I see this as coming back to begin anew," he said.

Sources

Chicago Defender

Chicago Sun Times

The Holy See Press Office did not release any information on the meeting other than that it took place. Much of the press speculated that the meeting was probably to discuss what happened 10 days before, when the cardinal publicly criticized the U.S. bishops' official statement on the inauguration of President Joe Biden.

But sources in Rome who spoke to CNA on background said that Cupich met the pope not to speak of what happened in the recent past, but what may happen in the near future: Blase Cupich replacing Cardinal Marc Ouellet as prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

Read More

Most of the mergers involve two or more parishes, many of which have schools associated with them. In two cases, four current parishes will be merged into one.

The investigation and decision-making process involved Feedback and Discernment Teams (which included representatives from each of the parishes and schools).

These Teams met to review and discern the future parish, school, and church structures for their respective areas and then submitted feedback reports to the Archdiocesan Standards and Recommendations Commission.

The Commission then met to review the feedback reports and other materials and information.

This included demographic data, financial summaries, and parish and grouping trends.

Cupich, his auxiliary bishops and the Presbyteral Council discussed the recommendations and ultimately made the decisions for the mergers.

The mergers will take effect July 1 and several schools will also close.

The mergers will reduce the number of parishes in the archdiocese to below 300. There were over 350 in 2016 and almost 450 in the mid-1980s.

One newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, has suggested that the Chicago archdiocese could be facing as much as $200 million in debts from clerical abuse settlements.

"Over the next few months, the archdiocese and the pastors of the current parishes will support the communities in their transition to the new parish and school structures," the archdiocesan announcement concluded.

"All parishes will embark on the next phase of the renewal process to become a stronger, more sustainable presence for the future, capable of reaching more people in their work of making disciples of Jesus Christ, building communities with one another and inspiring witness in the world around us."

Source

• Catholic News Agency
• Image: National Catholic Reporter

Both Chicago's Cardinal Blase Cupich and Malta's Archbishop Charles Scicluna say the Vatican should begin disclosing the reasons for a Catholic prelate's removal from office.

Cupich and Scicluna organised last week's summit on child protection.

"I think if a person is removed from office the reason should be given why," said Cupich, speaking in an interview earlier this week at the Pontifical North American College.

"There is no reason that should not be the case."

On Tuesday Scicluna spoke about the potential change at the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In the past "there was a resistance to giving the real reason or the reasons.

"That needs to change," he said.

Cupich and Scicluna's comments signal a potentially significant policy change for the global church.

They indicated the procedures Pope Francis developed in 2016 to initiate the removal of bishops found negligent in clergy abuse cases may be updated to make them more transparent.

They also said they hope the involvement of 12 women during last week's meeting would set a standard for the growing participation of women at future Vatican meetings, including synods of bishops.

Scicluna said a bishop's removal might be due to reports sent to Rome from the prelate's diocese or his national conference.

People have a right to know the outcome of their report, he said.

At the moment, the Vatican does not give any reason when a bishop is removed from office. Instead, an announcement is made in the Vatican's daily bulletin, saying the prelate has "renounced pastoral governance" of his diocese.

Although the Vatican formerly identifies the church canon under which a bishop has resigned, until September 2016 observers could only make an educated guess about the reasons behind the resignation.

Abuse survivors and advocates have long argued that giving the reasons for bishops' resignations would act as an incentive for prelates to handle abuse cases according to procedure.

"I believe that if a bishop has been removed for incompetence — financial, his administration, or whatever — those things should be said," Cupich said.

Source

• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: National Catholic Reporter

Zollner says he believes the reason for calling the 21-24 February summit is because "this is a very urgent, very challenging moment for the Church and an urgent question which the Holy Father has made a priority for himself and for the Church, by calling for this unique meeting."

Zollner is the head of the Center for Child Protection at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University and a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minor.

He is also a member of the organising committee for the summit.

Others include Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, Cardinal Oswald Gracias from India and Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, the Vatican's former top prosecutor of sex abuse crimes.

The heads of all bishop's conferences throughout the world will attend the gathering, as well as members of Eastern Catholic Churches and religious superiors.

Echoing the Pope's words, Zollner says the summit will be a meeting of "pastors" who will come together to pray, and who will "listen to be informed about what they need to do, and to own that."

While a three-day-meeting is not enough to dive into complex issues such as implications related to canon law, there needs to be follow-through on what is discussed.

One goal will be to achieve some sort of global uniformity in terms of best-practices in abuse prevention and prosecution.

"At the same time, there can be no one-size-fits-all guideline for the whole Church, because our languages do not translate certain concepts, the law systems are completely different, the political and social situations are very diverse," he says.

"If Rome comes and gives everybody one guideline, everyone thinks things are solved once and for all," but this is not the case, he said. "You need to be sure those responsible do the work."

Source

• National Catholic Reporter
• Crux Now
• Image: America Magazine

The vote was 96 to 82.

The post is traditionally reserved for cardinals.

Naumann's victory has been reported as a snub for Cupich's progressive approach.

Like Pope Francis, Cupich's approach focuses on dialogue and encounter.

Naumann is seen as more traditional and "a representative of the culture-warrior style of episcopal leadership".

National Catholic Reporter columnist, Michael Sean Winters, says the vote "amounted to the bishops giving the middle finger to Pope Francis."

Winters went on to say that, in 2008, Naumann told Governor Kathleen Sebelius that she should not go to Communion because of her pro-choice position.

Although Cardinal Raymond Burke advocated for this position, citing Canon Law 915 most bishops thought it was a mistake to "politicise the Communion rail".

Naumann has also ordered his parishes to cease hosting Girl Scout troops.

He thought they were somehow involved with Planned Parenthood.

Cupich, on the other hand, has openly embraced the ethic of life approach.

His predecessor, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, introduced this way of thinking.

Pope Francis supports Benardin's perspective in this respect.

• Chicago Tribune
• The Tablet
• Crux
• Catholic News Agency
• Image: Spero News

The invitation comes after Martin had speaking engagements cancelled and negative comments leveled at him by far-right Catholic groups.

The ultra-conservatives disapprove of Martin's recently published book on lesbian, gay, bi-, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) Catholics.

Ultra-conservative website Church Militant and right-wing blog "Fr. Z" published articles and videos ahead of Martin's visit decrying his new book: Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community can Enter Into A Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity.

Martin was also criticised on another conservative website, LifeSite. It called for him to be removed from his position as an adviser to the Vatican.

Martin defended himself — as did two bishops and multiple Catholic commentators — from the comments, which also target other Catholic leaders who are encouraging the Church to build bridges with LGBTQ people.

Like Martin, Catholic theologian and teacher Shawn Copeland has had her invitation to speak at a college in Michigan withdrawn. The topic of her talk, which was originally scheduled for Wednesday, was Pope Francis and his "agenda for social justice".

A few days before she was scheduled to speak, Church Militant published an article decrying Copeland for promoting a "pro-homosexual agenda" and citing sections of her theological works where she suggests Christ would embrace LGBTQ people.

Source:

• ThinkProgress
• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: Connecticut Catholic Corner