Posts

What Dignity Means Now: Part Three of Commonweal’s Symposium on “Dignitas Infinita”

“Dignitas Infinita, while often clear-sighted and practical in the best traditions of Catholic theology, fails to apprehend even the basic situation of transgender people and therefore provides no useful intellectual or moral guidance either for transgender Catholics or for their families, friends, and colleagues,” writes Daniel Walden in a critique of the declaration published by Commonweal. Read More

What Dignity Means Now: Part Two of Commonweal’s Symposium on “Dignitas Infinita”

Dignitas Infinita’s statements should be read as “boundaries, warning signals, and challenges for moralists and public-policy leaders” rather than as pastoral guidelines, writes Cathleen Kaveny in a recent essay on the Vatican declaration. Read More

Anti-Transgender Laws “Shame and Shun” Stigmatized Youth, Writes Commonweal Editor

New proposed laws that would jeopardize the autonomy of transgender youth serve “ to shame and shun an already stigmatized and often defenseless group of people,” wrote the managing editor of a leading Catholic publication. Read More

Part II: Paul Griffiths Rejects Transgender-Positive Approach of Daniel Walden

Yesterday, Bondings 2.0 featured excerpts from Daniel Walden's essay in Commonweal earlier this year about gender and Catholic theology, specifically as it relates to transgender people. Today's post details a response from Commonweal contributor Paul Griffiths, as well as Walden's further response. Read More

Part I: Writer Daniel Walden Proposes Narrative Approach to Transgender Issues in Church

Earlier this year, two cisgender men had an exchange in Commonweal about issues of gender in the church, specifically the experiences of transgender people. Today and tomorrow's posts on Bondings 2.0 offer some of the main ideas proposed. Read More

Welcoming Parish Is “Balm Within a Church That Continues to Wound,” Writes Jason Steidl

“As a gay man, it often feels impossible to remain Catholic,” writes theologian Jason Steidl in a "Commonweal" article which is part of the magazine’s series on contemporary U.S. Catholicism, "The American Parish Today." Read More

Commonweal Editor Calls Church Teaching on LGBTQ Sexuality Harmful and Distracting

The U.S. Catholic hierarchy’s insistence on opposing same-gender marriage distracts its leaders and laity from speaking out against other moral shortcomings, says a Commonweal editor in a recent column. Read More

Share Your LGBT Story as a Christmas Gift to the Catholic Church

Surely an attempt to explore why Catholics join, leave, and remain in the church has to include voices of LGBT people, their loved ones, and vocal allies? Read More

Navigating the Difficult Passage Between Conscience and Justice

Responses to the Supreme Court’s Masterpiece Cakeshop decision are generating a library’s worth of commentary,... Read More

Reviewing Fr. James Martin’s “Building a Bridge,” Part I

Fr. James Martin’s new book on LGBT issues, Building a Bridge, has created quite a buzz... Read More