Catholic Actor Arrested on Homophobic Slur Charge; And Other News
Here are some items that may be of interest:
Shia LaBeouf
1. Hollywood actor Shia LaBoeuf was arrested in New Orleans “after allegedly targeting two men with anti-gay slurs and physical attacks at a bar,” reported Yahoo! Entertainment. The news story said that the incident’s police report: “states he continued using offensive language even after officers arrived and began questioning those involved. At one point, he allegedly remarked, “‘These f–gots put me in jail. I’m a Catholic.'” According to Wikipedia.org:
“In an August 2022 interview with Bishop Robert Barron, LaBeouf said that he had fallen in love with the Catholic faith while studying for the titular role of the film Padre Pio and staying in a Capuchin monastery in the process. He stated that the Traditional Latin Mass played a key role in his conversion.[121][122] In May 2023, LaBeouf confirmed that he was undergoing the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults.[123] On December 31, 2023, LaBeouf was confirmed into the Catholic Church by Bishop Barron and it was said that he had expressed a wish to enter into the diaconate.”
2. Montgomery County, Maryland, is required to pay $1.5 million to a group of parents who sued the government because they were not allowed to exempt their children from classroom lessons around LGBTQ+ issues, reported Maryland Matters. The case, known as Mahmoud v. Taylor, went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the parents argued that their religious liberty was being denied. A religiously diverse group of parents brought the case including a Catholic couple, Chris and Melissa Persak, and a father, Jeff Roman.
3. According to Letters from Leo, a blog written by Catholic political strategist Christopher Hale, Pope Leo punished the Master of Ceremonies during last year’s Christmas blessing because the priest was heard uttering a
homophobic slur term on a hot mic. Hale commented:
The Vatican watchdog outlet Silere Non Possum first reported the audio earlier this week, and by this morning our sources in the Vatican confirmed their reporting: Pope Leo had swiftly removed the priest — Monsignor Marco Agostini — from his liturgical post.
Outside of niche Catholic circles, this story has barely made a blip. But it speaks volumes about how the first American pope is handling the Church’s internal culture wars, and where he draws the line.
4. Archbishop John Bonaventure Kwofie, C.S.Sp., of Accra, Ghana warned seminary rectors of seminaries in West Africa to be on guard what he saw as the rise of homosexuality and “gay culture” within Catholic seminaries. reported CISA News Africa. He stated “I am going to talk to you about a phenomenon that is developing like a monster in seminaries. I urge you to do everything possible to remove people with this orientation from our seminaries, because not only is it contrary to the priestly attitude, but it also makes celibacy unworthy of being lived. This is homosexuality and gay culture.” Policies and language like this are good examples of why church leaders around the globe need to be educated about LGBTQ+ reality, instead of operating out of fear and ignorance.
—Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry, February 28, 2026
We need to pray for Shia Leboeuf. He found his way out of destructive behavior when playing St. Padre Pio and had a profound conversation but obviously still struggles with his demons.
The African culture is what needs to change. There are many gay, celibate priests serving the People of God. When a heterosexual individual does something wrong the charge is made against the individual, but when a gay person does something wrong, all homosexuals are charged. The is the definition of prejudice.
Thank you for sharing these news clips. They are a reminder for me that being “CATHOLIC” is neither a banner to wave nor a badge of courage to wear especially if its sharp spike is pushed into someone else’s heart. “The measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” Luke 6:38