Some LGBTQ-Positive Members Appointed to Synod Study Groups; And More News

When the Vatican released the Synod on Synodality’s latest working document two weeks ago, it also published the members for the previously-established study groups addressing specific questions raised during the synodal process.

Today’s post includes an analysis of some of the members of the study groups, plus more reactions from Catholic reform organizations.

Study Group 9 Members Lack Clear LGBTQ+ Records

While no study group is explicitly tasked with discussing LGBTQ+ issues, it appears that Study Group 9, with the theme of “Theological criteria and synodal methodologies for shared discernment of controversial doctrinal, pastoral, and ethical issues,” is the most likely place where these issues may be discussed.

The only member of Study Group 9 with a publicly-identifiable LGBTQ+ record is Fr. Maurizio Chiodi, a moral theologian at the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute, Rom. In a 2019 interview, Chiodi called for “a reflection on the fundamental anthropological and theological questions involved” in how the church understands homosexuality. He reaffirmed strongly Catholic teaching that a homosexual orientation is not sinful and that pastoral care must be provided. Chiodi also offered qualified support for same-gender relationships:

“From this perspective, it seems to me that it is difficult – indeed impossible – to give pre-packaged answers, as if from an anthropological theory one could immediately deduce all the practical answers. I believe that the relationships of homosexual couples present gaps and undeniable differences that prevent them from being equated with heterosexual couples, cancelling their diversity. Nevertheless, the moral task concerns the actual possibilities, that is to say the possible good, which takes into account the actual history of a subject.

“For this reason, I would not exclude that, under certain conditions, a homosexual couple relationship is, for that individual, the most fruitful way to live good relationships, taking into account their symbolic meaning, which is at once personal, rational and social. This happens, for example, when a stable relationship is the only way to avoid sexual vagrancy or other forms of humiliating and degrading erotic relationships or when it is a help and a stimulus to walk on the path of good relationships.”

Chiodi also emphasized that while Scripture, particularly the Book of Genesis, can inform how homosexuality is understood, “to concretely investigate these ‘origins’ the contribution of the so-called ‘human sciences’, in particular psychology, sociology and medicine, is very important.”

The priest said elsewhere in the interview that, while avoiding “pressure groups,” he believes that “it is good to offer the possibility of groups, associations or initiatives, both for homosexual persons and for their families. . .this attention should remain a possibility, for those who wish it, without limiting the access of homosexual persons to ordinary pastoral initiatives.”

Finally, Chiodi affirmed that part of the church revisiting its teachings and practices on homosexuality is an evangelical mission. Asked whether a more welcoming church could lead gay people to reconsider “a path of faith,” the priest responded:

“Not only is it possible, but it is necessary. Of course, this must avoid superficiality and improvisation. It is a path to be followed with wisdom and discernment, also making use of pastoral experiences already tested. The grace of the Gospel and the path that it presents, at the root, are no different for the gay world, compared to the call addressed to all, even if each has its own specific forms. In the end, however, within the same community, we are all committed to the common following of the Lord.”

In addition to Chiodi, other Study Group 9  members are considered liberal or reform-minded. The group’s coordinator is Archbishop Carlos Gustavo Castillo Mattasoglio of Lima, Peru, a Pope Francis appointee friendly to liberation theology and endorsed personally by one of the field’s founders, Fr. Gustavo Gutierrez.

Fr. Carlo Casalone, SJ, is a moral theologian at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, who has aided the reform of the Pontifical Academy for Life to reorient it around the wider social magisterium of Pope Francis. Caslone also heads the Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini Foundation, who was a very progressive Italian prelate, and the priest has emphasized conscience as fundamental to Catholic ethics.

Sr. Josée Ngalula, RSA

Sr. Josée Ngalula, RSA, a theologian at the Université Catholique du Congo, Kinshasa, participated in the church reform conference Spirit Unbounded held last October in Rome during the 1st Assembly of the Synod. Her research focuses on violence done by and within religious institutions. She has a particular commitment to victims of abuse in the Catholic Church.

Members without clear public records on LGBTQ+ issues or church reform include Archbishop Filippo Iannone, O Carm, president of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts; Fr. Piero Coda, secretary-general of the International Theological Commission, who has endorsed gender complementarity but as “men and women together, not just men who talk about women;” and Stella Morra, a theologian at the Pontifical Gregorian University and consultor for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Sr. Maria Cimperman, RSCJ

Several LGBTQ-positive church leaders will be present in the remaining eight study groups. Those church leaders include: Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, prefect for the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life; Fr. Antonio Spadaro, SJ, an advisor to Pope Francis, Sr. Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, undersecretary for the General Secretariat of the Synod; Sr. Maria Cimperman, RSCJ, a U.S. theologian; Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, prefect for the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development; Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization; Cardinal Leonardo Ulrich Steiner, OFM, of Manaus, Brazil; Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the General Secretariat of the Synod; and Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay.

Notably, the members of the group on women in the church were not made public, as this issue has been reserved separately to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Five additional study groups specifically on synodality itself were also announced. Again, while LGBTQ+ issues are not in their mandate explicitly, the LGBTQ-positive members of these groups include theologians Rafael Luciani, Boston College; Catherine Clifford, St. Paul University, Ottawa;  Fr. Ormond Rush, Australian Catholic University; and Fr. Philippe Bordeyne, dean of the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute, Rome.

Church Reform Groups Respond to Working Document

Marianne Duddy-Burke

Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, released a statement saying the Instrumentum Laboris was “confusing for many” because “it offers a vision of hope,” yet “when you look more closely, you notice numerous restrictions that may undermine this vision.” She continued:

“The Synod process has exposed the need for truly radical changes in our church. Millions of people around the world, including LGBTQIA+ people and our families and friends, have taken risks to offer their truth and hopes to church officials and Synod delegates. They have shared wisdom and frustration, love and pain. Addressing all of this will take a great deal of time and care.”

FutureChurch, a Catholic reform organization, issued a statement which described the working document as “hope for progress,” yet “we also cannot ignore the fact that true synodality cannot be realized if certain topics. . .are excluded from conversation.” Previously, FutureChurch published an interim Synod report that named LGBTQ+ outreach as a key concern for its members. Now, the organization notes of the working document:

“[The document] reflects Pope Francis’ desire for a cultural shift toward a Church that is more dialogical, open to a diversity of perspectives and experiences, and where discernment and decision-making is the common work of all the People of God – lay and ordained alike. . .It must be said: true synodality will not be realized if certain topics remain off limits. . .”

—Robert Shine (he/him), New Ways Ministry, July 19, 2024