U.S. Bishops’ Synod Report Acknowledges LGBTQ+ Tensions, But Offers No Proposals

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has released its next national synthesis for the Synod on Synodality, and the document notes the passionate tensions among U.S. Catholics, including disagreements over LGBTQ+ issues.

The National Synthesis of the People of God in the United States of America for the Interim Stage of the 2021-2024 Synod, drawn from over 1,000 listening sessions involving 35,000-plus participants, reported that participants articulated two hopes for Catholicism: that it be a church of “Safe Harbor of certainty and openness and prophetic mystery [which] is at the heart of our Fiery Communion.”

As a church of Safe Harbor, the USCCB acknowledges that many participants in listening sessions believe the “‘Church is at its best when it’s warm, welcoming, and focuses on community building and doing more for other people’ (Region XII).” The report recognizes, too, that the church is a vastly diverse community, and U.S. Catholics want to focus on diverse community building. The report stated:

“‘Our participants talked about their need for a community of compassion and openness. Our Church is the place for the most authentic community, where we are in communion with our Lord and our neighbors. Our people shared their longing for that authentic community’ (Region II).”

The document also pays considerable attention to the deep tensions among Catholics, which the USCCB chooses to call “Fiery Communion.” It is in this section that LGBTQ+ people are briefly discussed. The report quotes listening sessions to highlight a reported ambiguity from participants: “Some ‘were challenged by the Church’s ‘indecisiveness,’ by ‘lack of reverence,’ and by the perception that the Church is changing the traditional methods and accepting current things against our church rules’ (Region III).” The report continues: “‘Some are very worried about how the Church responds to LGBTQ and other marginalized people… others want to stand firm in the Church’s teaching and not shy away from the truth’ (Region VIII).”

Ultimately, the document concedes that these tensions demand a “prophetic response,” while offering “safe harbor” and embracing the “fiery communion.” Other than continued conversations about the disagreement, the report offers no such prophetic response.

The USCCB’s Synod report spends considerable time addressing confusion in the church. Such concerns are not new to LGBTQ+ Catholics, though the report presents them as ambiguous:

“Numerous reports from the listening sessions cited instances of communication, both from the hierarchy and from secular and Catholic media, which reflect and perpetuate division within the universal church and send conflicting messages of what it means to be Catholic. When the communication of the Church is not clear and consistent, it becomes an obstacle to the mission.”

According to the report, this confusion translates into a tension between the church having a welcoming spirit and the need to articulate church teaching:

“A third area of disagreement that arose in many of the listening sessions was the tension between a welcoming spirit and the need to articulate Church teaching. There is a longing to include those who thirst for God but who have also experienced systematic rejection: ‘[M]any voiced that they know people who struggle with being accepted by the church because of gender (especially LGBTQ+) and marital status (divorced, or marriage outside of the church). Many people feel hurt by the Church and are not willing to come back’ (Region III). In a particular way, participants recognized that many people ‘seek a space of authentic belonging in the Church, and in God’s eyes everyone is welcome’ (Region IX). It was noted that the Church becomes ‘a powerful force of engagement when we nurture, welcome and activate the faithful, even with its challenges,’ fostering the inclusion of many, including the poor (Region VI). Also ‘there has been a lack of focus on the needs of those with disabilities, the handicapped…There is a need to reach out to families with disabled members’ (Region XIV).”

Beyond LGBTQ+ issues, the report acknowledges that most participants stated a desire for greater participation, especially by young people, in the life of the church. The report also voiced participants’ concern about clericalism and the need for women in more leadership roles in the church.

While the report suggests LGBTQ+ issues need to be addressed in new and deeper ways in the next phase of the Synod, it offers no proposals for creating a greater welcoming space LGBTQ+ Catholics in the life of the Church. Most participants generally remain hopeful about the synodal process, according to the report, which concludes with a sentiment that LGBTQ+ Catholics, their families, and allies have heard many times before: “Yet there is a long way to go.”

—Kevin Molloy (he/him), New Ways Ministry, June 8, 2024