Sydney’s Catholic Weekly newspaper is refusing to run an advertisement for an event at which former Irish president Mary McAleese will speak. The reasons cited by Catholic Weekly editor Peter Rosengren are Ms McAleese’s views on homosexuality and the ordination of women. Ms McAleese is the guest of Catholic think-tank, Catalyst For Renewal, and will Read more
Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe says he greatly prefers Chinese aid over that from Western nations because the latter want him to accept homosexuality. Mr Mugabe, said to be a practising Catholic, told a Chinese television interviewer that he resents Western aid because it always depends on conditions like accepting homosexuality. He praised Beijing for being Read more
Members of a notorious American church plan to protest at actor Robin Williams’ funeral, over his previous portrayal of a gay man in a film. Although details of the funeral have not been made public, members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas say they will picket the event over Williams’ role in “The Birdcage”. Read more
Homosexuality is only partly genetic with sexuality mostly based on environmental and social factors, scientists believe. A study found that, while gay men shared similar genetic make-up, it only accounted for 40 per cent of the chance of a man being homosexual. But scientists say it could still be possible to develop a test to Read more
Pope Francis has called an extraordinary synod of bishops on the family in October. The hot button issue for the gathering is already well known – whether divorced and remarried Catholics can or should be able to receive the Eucharist. Battles lines at the Vatican have already been drawn in the differing views expressed by Read more
A Catholic couple in the United Kingdom have failed in a legal attempt to block the adoption of two of their sons by a gay couple. The parents, of Slovak Roma origin, had asked that the children be adopted by a Catholic family. The parents’ four children were taken into care in Kent last year. Read more
Everybody knows that same-sex marriage and homosexual acts are contrary to Catholic moral teaching. Yet that same teaching also says that gay and lesbian people must be treated with “respect, sensitivity and compassion.” As more states pass laws legalising same-sex marriage, more gay and lesbian Catholics are entering into these unions. This leaves some Catholics Read more
A human rights activist and lawyer says there are signs that churches from outside the Pacific region are starting to focus on the Pacific and to send missionaries or preachers there who are intolerant of homosexuality. Dr Paula Gerber says “The church is a very broad term. There is certainly some religious bodies that are Read more
In a recent interview with the world’s media when he was on a flight back to Rome from Brazil last July, Pope Francis answered a question about homosexuality by saying: “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?” Only God knows the secrets of each human Read more
Bishop of Auckland, Patrick Dunn, says he believes the documentary film The Third Way, is ‘thought-provoking.’ The New Zealand bishop suggests those interested view it and make their own decision about it. The Third Way is a 38-minute documentary from Indiana-based Blackstone Films in which Catholics with same-sex attraction talk about their faith and their lives. “The initial response has Read more