Biden Attends Mass at Parish on New Ways Ministry’s LGBTQ-Friendly List

Shortly after the election was called, Bondings 2.0 published a review of President-elect Joe Biden’s LGBTQ-positive actions and statements since 2011. These included officiating at a same-gender marriage and describing transgender equality as “the civil rights issue of our time.”

Now, there is one more item to add to that list: his Mass attendance at an LGBTQ-friendly parish. Delaware State News reported:

“On the morning after Election Day, President-elect Biden attended church at St. Joseph’s on the Brandywine, a Catholic church in Greenville. He then visited the church’s nearby cemetery, where he visited the graves of his son Beau, daughter Naomi and first wife Neilia.

“‘Mr. Biden does attend mass there on occasion when he’s in the area,’ said Robert Krebs, the director of the Diocese of Wilmington’s communications department.

“St. Joseph is listed as one of three LBGTQ-friendly Catholic churches in Delaware on the website of New Ways Ministry, a group that advocates for equality for the LGBTQ community in the Catholic church.”

In view of Biden’s record, the newspaper concluded that his attendance at St. Joseph then “makes sense.” As the presidential transition slowly gets underway and his administration begins to take shape, let us pray Joe Biden continues to be a Catholic defender of LGBTQ equality in a time when it has come under attack from legislatures, courts, and executive orders.

Looking for an LGBTQ-friendly parish? Try New Ways Ministry’s list of parishes and faith communities that have provided some form of public welcome to LGBTQ people and their families, available here. Know of a parish or faith community that should be included on the list? Click here to let us know.

—Robert Shine, New Ways Ministry, November 18, 2020