“Can the church change?” That question is the headline of a new article in U.S. Catholic. Author Don Clemmer attempts to answer this question, which is often asked by many LGBTQ+ Catholics longing to see the church embrace more inclusive teachings.
Too many LGBTQ individuals have felt so bound by the judgements of the Church that they do not dare approach God.
“We’re here, we’re not going anywhere.” This is the message Michael Sennett and his fellow LGBTQ+ parishioners sent with the annual Mass of Belonging held at St. Ignatius of Loyola Church, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
“We must always make every effort to communicate and treat one another with charity and respect,” wrote Fr. Michael Hughes in a formal statement of apology for allowing the spread of homophobic misinformation in his parish’s bulletin. “I pledge to do so moving forward.”
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State for the Holy See, refuted the idea that homosexuality is linked to sexual abuse, writing in a new book that blaming the abuse crisis in the church on gay priests is a “serious and scientifically untenable association.”
Catholic LGBTQ+ leaders have continued calls for Uganda’s bishops to condemn legislation passed earlier this year that further criminalizes LGBTQ+ people. One U.S. bishop, however, has defended the new law.
A new report details U.S. Catholics’ discontent with their church’s teachings on and treatment of LGBTQ+ people. According to the report, Catholics are more likely than other U.S. churchgoers to rate their church poorly in terms of welcoming LGBTQ+ people and discussing issues of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination.
For LGBTQ folks, living into one’s God-given sexual and gender identity comes with sacrifices. It’s not popular to admit this idea.
Six Sisters of Mercy have joined interfaith leaders in an effort to defeat anti-LGBTQ legislation in New Hampshire. The sisters signed an open letter, published by the New Hampshire Council of Churches, asserting that “LGBTQ+ people, especially youth, are created in the image of God. Their civil rights are sacred and must be protected.”
“We know that you’re whole as you are,” says Sr. Barbara Battista, “and we’re going to find a way to reach out to you and to be there with you.” This was with the message a group of Catholic women religious wanted to send to the trans community on this year’s Transgender Day of Visibility in March.