New Gay Catholic CEO, German Theologians’ Critique, and a Summary of Church Teaching; And Other News

1. Michael O’Loughlin, who made history in 2025 as the first openly gay person to lead a major U.S. Catholic publication when he became National Catholic Reporter’s executive editor, has now been named the outlet’s CEO as well, effective Sept. 14. The dual appointment — combining editorial and organizational leadership — extends his groundbreaking role at NCR, which reaches 1-2 million readers monthly. O’Loughlin previously led Outreach, an LGBTQ Catholic ministry founded by Jesuit Fr. James Martin, and wrote Hidden Mercy, a book on Catholics’ response to the AIDS crisis.

2. Four German theologians have argued that criticism of Lower Saxony’s new “Christian Religion” school subject reflects patterns of right-wing agenda-setting rather than genuine pedagogical concerns, according to Katholische.de. Writing on the portal “Feinschwarz”, Ariane Dihle, Dominik Gautier, Jan-Hendrik Herbst and Andreas Kubik note that the backlash targets flashpoint topics including migration, gender, sexual diversity, Islam and climate policy. They argue these themes are stripped of context and scandalized to devalue groups with little social power, including queer people, Muslims and environmental advocates, rather than reflecting serious theological engagement with Jesus’s teachings.

3. In a July 2026 reflection on his blog, Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong discusses the Gospel parables of the mustard seed and yeast, using them to illustrate spiritual perseverance against what he describes as three temptations: personal desire, worldly trends, and the devil. Within this discussion, Zen singles out LGBTQ sexual conduct, describing it as contrary to what he calls the Creator’s plan for marriage between a man and a woman, and cites biblical language calling homosexual acts an “abomination.” He also references discussions from a recent conclave on family and points to defending “the family” as a pastoral priority for clergy and laity alike. 

4. In a recent article for U.S. Catholic, James Martin, S.J. laid out Catholic teaching on LGBTQ+ people, starting from the principle that they hold full human dignity as children of God. He argues that church teaching begins with Jesus, not solely the Catechism, pointing to how Jesus embraced those pushed to the margins. Martin acknowledges the Catechism’s language calling homosexual acts “disordered,” rooted in the church’s procreative-unitive framework for sexuality, while noting recent developments like blessings for same-sex couples under Fiducia Supplicans and mixed guidance on transgender Catholics. He emphasizes that pastoral practice varies widely across dioceses. Martin began his reflection by writing that “LGBTQ+ people are beloved children of God,” and when on to say that all humans are expected to treat LGBTQ+ individuals with “respect, compassion, and sensitivity.”

5. Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee is being praised for attending a New Ways Ministry listening session with LGBTQ Catholics. The encounter was framed by a recent Outreach essay by Bill Wigchers as a meaningful pastoral gesture in a church that has often managed its LGBTQ members rather than truly hearing them. The piece argues Grob’s presence embodies St. John Paul II’s personalist theology, which insists every person deserves encounter, not categorization. The essay notes that LGBTQ+ Catholics frequently experience a church that has decided its position on them before listening to their lives. By simply showing up and listening, Grob is described as modeling a form of fidelity other church leaders should follow.

—Matthew Gorczyca, New Ways Ministry, September 12, 2026