Mention the name of any religion and the first reaction of contemporary, western, first world and secular society people will be to ask about its content: what do they believe? The emphasis is, at once, on a list of ideas about the universe, human life, purpose and what, if anything, is beyond the universe. Once Read more
A new Vatican statement that has provoked widespread criticism for sharply rejecting the blessing of same-sex unions is the latest example of why it’s hard for many people to take the Catholic Church’s own professed values of equality and dignity seriously. The decree, which notes God “cannot bless sin,” reiterates traditional Catholic teaching on sexuality. Read more
Since the Catholic Church forbids celebrating marriage between people of the same sex as a sacrament, some Catholics, and even some bishops, have discussed having a blessing for such couples as an alternative. On Monday (March 15), the Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith, the chief doctrinal office in the Vatican, responded to queries about Read more
Every year hundreds of thousands of children send letters to Santa through the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) Operation Santa, a program that seeks to put those letters in the hands of organizations and individuals who can respond and send a thoughtful gift on Santa’s behalf. And each year, the USPS shares some of the Read more
After two unsuccessful petitions in 2019, Labour is finally promising to ban conversion therapy. Sherry Zhang talks to Anna* on what conversion therapy was like for her and what a ban on its practice would mean. “It makes me want to cry. It makes me feel seen, like I’m not just making shit up.” That’s Read more
“Bakla” is the most fearsome word in my life. It means “gay” in Filipino, a label I wanted to stay far away from, growing up. Like many Filipinos, I was raised in a devoutly Catholic home and went to an all-boys school run by priests most of my life. My family, teachers, and friends never Read more
What a difference 30 years make in gay ministry! In 1990, then-Cardinal John O’Connor forced any of New York parishes hosting Dignity support groups for Catholic gays and lesbians to evict them from church property. Late last month, with the approval of New York’s current cardinal, Timothy Dolan, Fordham University released the first in a Read more
Does Jacinda Ardern talk to God? “No. But I have a real respect for people who have religion as a foundation in their lives, ” she told Pathos in a recently published interview. “And I respect people who don’t. I’m agnostic. “I don’t spend a lot of time trying to figure it out. “I do Read more
It should never be illegal to be who you are. Yet lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people continue to face high levels of violence and discrimination across the world. 72 countries criminalise male homosexuality, with 45 also criminalising female homosexuality. In the Commonwealth, 36 of its 53 countries maintain laws that make same-sex intimacy between men Read more
Married gay priest Fr Bernard Lynch says he’s still ordained and Church is wrong in its attitudes to gay people. In an interview on Irish-channel Clare FM’s Morning Focus, Fr Lynch said the message of God is to love and to love one another. He said the Catholic Church “does terrible damage and it is Read more