Marriage Equality

Marriage equality for lesbian and gay couples is a growing reality in nations around the globe.

In the debates preceding marriage equality in each nation, Catholic leaders have opposed these initiatives.  In many nations, however, Catholic lay people have been strongly supportive of marriage equality, often citing their faith’s tradition of social justice and strong family units as reasons for such support.   The accompanying resources can help you understand Catholic support of marriage equality better.

Welcome Lesbian/Gay Married Couples in Your Parish

As marriage equality continues to grow and expand, more and more Catholic parishes and faith communities will experience a growth of lesbian/gay couples, sometimes with children, in their midst.  How can Catholic parishes offer an inclusive welcome and affirmation to these families?  Click the button to the right to read New Ways Ministry’s list of simple suggestions.

Resources

Find out about Catholic support for marriage equality

Get answers to your questions about Catholic perspectives on marriage equality.  Find out why growing majorities of Catholics are supporting marriage equality because of their faith, not in spite of their faith. Download a PDF of New Ways Ministry’s 40-page booklet, Marriage Equality: A Positive Catholic Approach, by Francis DeBernardo, our Executive Director.  Click here to download your copy now.

A Catholic Blessing for Same-Gender Couples

To help Catholics who want to bless same-sex couples, New Ways Ministry is making available the text of a blessing ceremony that all people–lay, vowed, ordained–can use.  The ceremony includes scripture and a blessing ceremony based on one that historian John Boswell found while doing research in the Vatican library for his book Same-Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe.

You can access the ceremony by clicking here.   At the bottom of the page with the blessing is a button to download a PDF version of the ceremony. For other resources for Catholic support of same-gender couples, click here.

 Some good things Catholic leaders have been saying about marriage equality

In recent years, church leaders–including bishops, Vatican officials, lay leaders, clergy–have been making positive statements about same-sex couples and relationships.  New Ways Ministry has been cataloging these thoughts as we learn of them.  Click here for our entire list.

Contemporary Theological Reflections on Same-Gender Relationships

For a summary of what 20th and 21st century theologians have been saying about the morality of same-gender relationships, click here.

Theologian: A Catholic Case for Same-Sex Marriage

Lisa Fullam, a professor at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, California, argues that the Catholic moral tradition supports a case for legalizing civil same-sex marriage.  Click here to read her essay explaining the reasons for her claim.

Helpful Links

Read New Ways Ministry’s statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision which legalized marriage equality.

Read recent news and opinions about marriage equality and the Catholic Church by checking out the  “Marriage Equality” category on New Ways Ministry’s blog.

Sister Margaret Farley, RSM, a Catholic theologian, has described a framework for a new guidelines on sexual ethics which is based on the quality of the relationship between the two individuals involved.  Her thoughts are laid out in Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics. (New York: Continuum Publishing, 2006).  You can read a summary of her principles for evaluating the quality of relationships by clicking here.

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