Australian School Reject’s Archbishop’s Anti-LGBTQ+ Letter; And More News

Here are some items that may be of interest:

1. St. Cuthbert’s Catholic School, Lindisfarne, Australia, rejected an anti-LGBTQ+ letter by Hobart’s Archbishop Julian Porteous that was distributed to schools in the state of Tasmania. Porteous suggested in the letter that being Catholic could be “made illegal” in coming years because of the advance of LGBTQ+ equallity.  He condemned marriage equality, the “radicalised transgender lobby,” and other perceived threats. In response to the letter’s distribution, leaders of St. Cuthbert’s told parents they were “committed to developing an inclusive and accepting culture that is in harmony with the Catholic tradition,” helping students “without judgement.”

The school has since deleted the letter to parents, and the Archdiocese of Hobart is not commenting. Nonetheless, educators and LGBTQ+ advocates are applauding St. Cuthbert’s officials. David Brear, general secretary of the Independent Education Union, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, “Taking a stand like this on behalf of students, staff and the whole community is in the best tradition of Catholic social justice.”

2. Catholic Charities in Michigan is suing the state’s government in hopes of vacating a law banning conversion therapy signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer last year. The lawsuit, Catholic Charities v. Whitmer, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. According to Our Sunday Visitor,  Therapist Emily McJones joined the suit which claims that therapists like McJones, who is Catholic, are unconstitutionally restricted from providing services which others view as LGBTQ-negative, particularly for transgender or questioning youth.

3. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo, Sri Lanka, joined interfaith leaders in condemning LGBTQ-supportive legislation ahead of presidential elections in September, reported UCA News. Ranjith hosted Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and other Christian leaders for a press conference in front of a banner reading, “Degenerate and Immoral LGBTQ Laws, Destroy Civilized Society,” in three languages. The faith leaders claimed that the Gender Equality Bill, Women’s Empowerment Bill, and Penal Code Amendment Bill, would, in Ranjith’s words, “disrupt marriage and family life.” Homosexuality remains criminalized in Sri Lanka despite a high court ruling last year that the criminalization law was unconstitutional; and the current president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, to repeal the law

4. At Teen Vogue, author and therapist Parisa Akhbari wrote about her experience attending Catholic school as a queer Iranian-American whose parents were not religious. Akhbari told of the strict, negative environment. In adolescence, she came to believe that her family would be sent to Hell: her parents for being Muslim-adjacent and her sister for being lesbian. Akhbari’s own coming out intertwined with intensified discrimination against Iranians and other people of color after September 11, 2001. Now, years later, the author concludes of this journey:

“Instead of turning to Catholicism for a sense of belonging, I turned to the other outsiders around me. . .It’s taken years, but I’ve smudged away that delineation between right and wrong instilled in me through Catholic education. This task of unlearning is like my own form of communion. The self-acceptance, liberation, and connection are worth it.”

5. In Ireland, Fr. Michael O’Leary was removed as chaplain for the Gaelscoil Uí Riada school, Cork, after hosting an anti-LGBTQ+ speaker during a Mass for students. The unnamed speaker said, among other offensive remarks, that Ireland should not have been represented by a nonbinary singer in the Eurovision contest and “gender benders” were problematic. Echo Live reported many people walked out of the Mass in protest, and school officials issued an apology that they “deeply and sincerely regret” the incident. A spokesperson for the Diocese of Cork and Ross, in which the school is located, confirmed O’Leary’s removal after a meeting with Bishop Fintan Gavin and the school’s board.

—Robert Shine (he/him), New Ways Ministry, August 10, 2024