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Vatican Ban on Same-Gender Blessings Imperils LGBTQ People, Say African Activists

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LGBTQ Catholics worldwide continue to resist the Vatican's ban on blessing same-gender couples. Today's post features some of those reactions, including from activists in two African countries. Read More

Irish Bishop Calls Vatican’s Ban on Blessings “Cold and Distant…Hurtful and Offensive”

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A bishop in Ireland has become the latest church leader to voice opposition to the Vatican's ban on blessing same-gender couples.  Read More

3,000+ Catholics Sign New Ways Ministry’s Pledge to Bless Same-Gender Couples

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The largest single protest by Catholics against the Vatican's ban on blessing same-gender unions has been published online with over 3,000 people participating, including over 100 theologians. Read More

English Catholic Sex Ed Program Faces Criticism Over Anti-LGBTQ Messaging

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A top Catholic school in England has drawn criticism from parents and the broader community over the school’s sex education program, which includes anti-LGBTQ messages. Read More

Cardinal Schönborn: Same-Gender Couples Seeking Blessing Should Not Be Denied

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A top church leader in Austria has said in an interview that same-gender couples should not be denied a blessing by the church if the request for the blessing is "honest."  Read More

U.S. Bishops Opposed Law to Fund Suicide Hotline Over Provisions for LGBTQ Support

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The National Catholic Reporter broke news this week that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) lobbied last year against legislation to fund a national suicide hotline because it would also fund LGBTQ-specific care, which is only the latest use of their political weight to stop pro-LGBTQ initiatives. Read More

Bishop John Stowe Endorses Equality Act, Breaking with U.S. Bishops’ Conference

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Bishop John Stowe of Lexington has broken with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) by supporting the Equality Act, saying "How can we take a position against equality?" Read More

In Wake of Vatican Ban, Reckoning with the Two Faces of Pope Francis on LGBTQ Issues

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At the center of the dispute over the Vatican's recent ban on blessing same-gender couples has been Pope Francis' role. Bondings 2.0 published earlier this week on reports that the pope tried to distance himself from the ban in his Sunday Angelus address, but many people still continue to criticize the pope. When it comes to Francis, it seems there is no resolution yet on what some observers consider his two faces on LGBTQ issues. Read More

Fr. James Alison Writes Vatican Threw “Tantrum” with Blessings Ban

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Fr. James Alison, a gay priest and theologian, has written that the Vatican's responsum that banned blessings for same-gender couples was a "tantrum." Elsewhere, Fr. Frank Brennan writes that, ultimately, it is God, not the church, who decides about blessing love. Read More

Former Irish President Mary McAleese Calls Vatican Ban “Gratuitously Cruel in the Extreme”; And Other Irish Reactions

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Irish Catholics are resisting the Vatican's ban on blessing same-gender couples, including the country's former president, Mary McAleese, who called it "gratuitously cruel in the extreme." Read More