Posts

New Ways Ministry Responds to Interfaith Statement Denying Transgender Experience

A negative statement on gender identity from 20 U.S. religious leaders shows the continued ignorance of gender awareness that exists among people who shape church teaching and policy.  Read More

A Voice in the Desert Crying Out: Reflections for the Third Sunday of Advent

The nature of Advent is that it is both like the snow that glistens and the ground that does not. Like snow that falls and glistens in the quiet of night, Advent is filled with hope, joy, and familial love. Underneath the snow, however, is the ground that doesn’t glisten—the reality that waits to be faced once the snow melts. Read More

Is the University of Notre Dame Failing LGBTQ Students?

Five years ago, the University of Notre Dame released "Beloved Friends and Allies," a pastoral plan aimed at making the campus more inclusive and providing support to LGBTQ students. But one student has now written that efforts to promote diversity are not enough and that the University is failing its LGBTQ students. Read More

QUOTE TO NOTE: Less Pomp, More Humility Can Help Clerics Understand LGBT Issues

An Australian bishop calls on priests to eliminate clericalism in their lives and ministry. Such a development could greatly benefit the Church's relationship with the LGBT community. Read More

After Australia Passes Marriage Equality, Priest Says He Would Be Glad to Marry Gay Couples

A week ago, Australian legislators passed a marriage equality law following the nation's non-binding postal survey this fall and years of debate. A Catholic priest has since expressed his desire to celebrate a same-gender couple's wedding amid more muted reactions from church leaders. Read More

In Masterpiece Case, Engage the Complexity without Denying People’s Dignity

How should Catholics approach the legal case Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission about which oral arguments were heard by the U.S. Supreme Court last week? John Gehring of Faith in Public Life said the answer to this question is nuanced, but clear. Read More

On LGBT Issues, Does Catholic Education Have to Choose Between Church and Culture?

Is Catholic higher education in the U.S. being forced to choose between church and culture on matters of gender and sexuality? Patricia Miller, a contributor for Religion Dispatches, leans towards yes. I'm not so sure. Read More

Austrian Cardinal Criticizes Court’s Legalization of Marriage Equality

An Austrian Catholic cardinal who has often been outspoken in defense of lesbian and gay people has criticized his nation's recent high court decision which allows for same-gender couples to marry. What does this latest marriage equality victory teach us about Catholic leaders' responses to these issues? Read More

On Being a Hero: Reflections for the Second Sunday of Advent

This Sunday, we’re asked to think about John the Baptist. And before Jesus was the Jesus of Nazareth whom we know and love—the one who exorcises demons, the one who heals people, the one who walks on water—Jesus was a person like you and me. Indeed, Jesus was a disciple; Jesus was an eager sidekick. And Jesus’s hero was John. Read More

South African Archbishop Says Church “Should Be Home for Gay People”

A South African bishop offered welcoming words to lesbian and gay people in a recent interview, saying the Church "should be home for gay people." Read More