in just over one week, Pope Francis will begin an Apostolic Visit to Uganda, Kenya, and Central African Republic where homosexuality is culturally disapproved and, in the first two, is illegal. New Ways Ministry is relaunching our #PopeSpeakOut campaign to encourage the pope to oppose publicly during his trip the criminalization of, discrimination towards, and violence against LGBT communities.
U.S. bishops will gather for their fall plenary next week, the outcomes of which will clearly indicate whether they are finally ready to affirm Pope Francis’ agenda or pursue more of the same. Either way, decisions made in Baltimore will impact LGBT Catholic issues in this country for the next several years. So what is at stake?
A second church worker in Chicago has claimed he was fired for being gay, according to a complaint filed against the archdiocese. This firing challenges the Pope Francis-like record of Archbishop Blase Cupich.
As a busy fall for Catholic LGBT advocates winds down, its time for reflecting about what happened–and…
Visiting the Vatican earlier this week, a United States’ diplomat tasked with LGBT human rights criticized the Vatican’s assertion that Western governments tie foreign aid to marriage equality. These remarks come just weeks before Pope Francis journeys to Africa, including Uganda where anti-gay legislation resurfaced.
The Synod on the Family is over and Catholics await Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on family life derived from the bishops’ deliberations, curious whether it will mirror the Final Report or deviate away towards a much hoped for, more merciful approach.
Catholic higher education in the U.S. is fairly supportive of LGBTQ students. Many colleges offer supports as is evident in New Ways Ministry’s gay-friendly listing, though admittedly these supports are of varying quality and intensity. Schools often face conservative critics who claim such supports contradict church teaching and endanger ecclesial affiliation.
Elton John called Pope Francis a “hero” in a recent interview, but that opinion is not universal. On the same day, Irish musician Hozier harshly criticized the pope over his treatment of LGBT issues.
Hong Kong’s Cardinal John Tong released a pastoral letter decrying a proposed nondiscrimination ordinance and instructing Catholics to consider whether a candidate supports equality or not.
Despite Pope Francis’ “Who am I to judge?” remark in 2013, the Catholic Church remains ambiguous in its acceptance of gay priests and religious though they may constitute up to 60% of clergy.