Pope Francis has sent a message of support to a conference that will discuss LGBTQ ministry in the Catholic Church this weekend, after right-wing online influencers organized a petition to try and stop the event. The pope is publicly backing the Outreach conference, a three-day meeting set to be held June 16-18 at New York’s Read more
In recent weeks, the Los Angeles Dodgers made headlines. They’ve been flip-flopping on whether or not to honor a group of anti-Catholic drag queens at their annual Pride Night. First Christians, then LGBTQ activists pressured them. The Dodgers changed their minds several times, eventually landing right back where they started. Some commentators reacted to the Read more
It is not new for Catholics to wield the authority of pope as a weapon against their perceived ideological opponents — as long as the pope is in their corner. For decades the Catholic right referred to the positions of Popes St John Paul II and Benedict XVI; now the Catholic left points to Pope Read more
If you are the parent of a LGBTQ child, I hope that the following thoughts, which I’ve accumulated as a psychotherapist over the past 35 years, can help resolve some misunderstandings, and help you and your child enjoy a more loving relationship. See what works for you and leave the rest behind. In his beautiful book Read more
Sabrina Hodak grew up in a Modern Jewish Orthodox family but only truly embraced Judaism at age 16, around the same time she understood she was bisexual. It was an upsetting and confusing time, because the same religious mentors who helped her strengthen her beliefs kept saying her sexuality would conflict with her faith. “That Read more
There are men and women whose attraction is to the same sex, who just get on with their lives, often with the support of others of the same disposition, and in many cases living chastely. This essay is not about them. Rather, it is about those who have an ideological agenda. Yet, in either case, Read more
Pope Francis’ recent “mini-interview” on the topic of LGBTQ Catholics provides some of the building blocks for a re-imagined ministry to gay people. “A ‘selective’ church, one of ‘pure blood,’ is not Holy Mother Church, but rather a sect,” the Pope explained in a handwritten reply to questions from Fr James Martin, a Jesuit priest Read more
The United Methodist Church has delayed its General Conference meeting for a third time due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. In response, some conservative United Methodists have announced they will preemptively leave the denomination rather than wait for the long-anticipated meeting. Delegates to the General Conference were expected to take up a proposal to split Read more
Like most of his fellow Italians, Mattia Nanetti, 25, from the northern city of Bologna, grew up with the teachings and sacraments of the Catholic Church in parochial school. Even his scouting group was Catholic. But in September 2019 he decided the time had come to leave the church behind. He filled out a form Read more
Why should Catholics reach out to L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics or, more broadly, to LGBTQ people? We should reach out not simply because they are Catholics—meaning LGBTQ Catholics, who are part of the Body of Christ—but because we are Catholic. Part of being Catholic, part of being Christian, is standing on the side of those who are Read more