The Pew Research Center released a report last week about a survey they conducted of LGBT people in the United States, including their participation and attitudes toward religious institutions.  The major finding, which grabbed the headlines, is that LGBT people find religious institutions unfriendly towards themselves, and many are alienated from these organizations.

A Religion News Service article which appeared on The Washington Post’s “On Faith” blog highlighted the following findings:

“Gay Americans are much less religious than the general U.S. population, and about three in 10 of them say they have felt unwelcome in a house of worship, a new study shows.

“The Pew Research Center’s study, released Thursday (June 13), details how gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans view many of the country’s prominent faiths: in a word, unfriendly.

“The vast majority said Islam (84 percent); the Mormon church (83 percent); the Roman Catholic Church (79 percent); and evangelical churches (73 percent) were unfriendly. Jews and nonevangelical Protestants drew a more mixed reaction, with more than 40 percent considering them either unfriendly or neutral about gays and lesbians.”

Marianne Duddy-Burke

Those statistics are not very good for Catholics.  It shows that we have a terrible image problem in terms of how LGBT people perceive us.  Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, in a HuffingtonPost blog noted the difficult challenge that this presents our church:

“The Pew Survey should serve as a wake-up call to Catholics — not only those supportive of LGBT equality but all those who in conscience disagree with the bishops on a broad range of issues related to gender and sexuality, from women’s ordination to birth control. We need to grapple with the fact that our bishops are defining Catholicism in a way that is directly opposed to what most Catholics believe and want our church to be. We have a worse brand-identity issue than J.C. Penney!” The Washington Post story offered the perspective or Ross Murray, director of faith and news initiatives at GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) who suggested a reason for the negative attitudes LGBT people have of religion:

Ross Murray

“[Ross Murray] thinks the sense of unfriendliness comes in part from the loudest voices of faith speaking through an anti-gay frame. Religious groups that support gays and lesbians, as a GLAAD study found last year, get far less media attention.

“ ‘The leading anti-gay voices always put it in religious terms, which taints how people view religion,’ Murray said.”

The statistics for how unwelcome LGBT people feel by religious institutions are staggering.  The Washington Post article states:

“Almost 50 percent of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender adults say they have no religious affiliation, compared to 20 percent of the general population. One-third of religiously affiliated gay and lesbian adults say there is a conflict between their faith beliefs and their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

And for Catholic LGBT people, a super-majority of them feel unwelcome.  The Deseret News reports:

“Among LGBT Catholics, two-thirds (66 percent) say the Catholic Church is unfriendly toward them. . .”

Clearly, religious people have their work cut out for them if they want to make sure that LGBT people feel welcome in their communities.  Duddy-Burke offered some suggestions:

“There are many options for Catholics troubled by the findings of the recent Pew survey. Most effective would be ensuring that anytime a church leader says something untrue, unkind or unwarranted about LGBT people; fires someone due to sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or an expression of support for LGBT people; or takes a position on a public matter that upholds institutional discrimination, call him out on it. Let him and others know that he is speaking only for a minority of Catholics.

“If you know LGBT people in your parish or faith community, tell them you’re glad for their presence and gifts. Ask if they find the community supportive, or if they find anything that happens there discomforting. If a priest delivers an anti-gay message, let him know you find it problematic, given Jesus’ model of broad inclusion.”

Is there any good news in this survey?  There might be one small glimmer for Catholics.  The Huffington Post news story about the survey cited some interesting data comparing church affiliation of LGBT people to the church affiliation of the general adult population.    14% of LGBT people identify as Catholics, while 22% of the general population do.  That means that the discrepancy between LGBT Catholics and general population Catholics is only 8%, which is not anywhere near the discrepancy for Protestants generally (27 % of LGBT people identify as Protestants, compared to 49% in the general population.)

This statistic is cold comfort, however, when we realize how many LGBT Catholics feel alienated from their church and how many LGBT people view Catholicism negatively.  I think the reason we have a smaller discrepancy has to do more with the loyalty that LGBT Catholics feel toward their church, rather than anything positive that the church is doing for them.

GLAAD’s Murray also offered some hope for the future by noting in The Huffington Post:

“I think that relationship is going to mend, but it will happen slowly … I hope that inclusive faith communities are able to get their message out even better, so that there can be better trust between LGBT people and religion.”

At New Ways Ministry, we see the relationship between LGBT people and the Catholic church developing every time we add a new parish to our gay-friendly parish list or a new campus to our gay-friendly Catholic college list.  But the Pew Report reminds us how much work we still have ahead of us.

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: bisexual, Catholic, Catholic Church, Catholic LGBT, DignityUSA, Gay, GLAAD, lesbian, LGBT, Marianne Duddy-Burke, Pew Research Center, religion, Ross Murray, Transgender, United States

Pope Francis’ views on marriage equality made headlines this past weekend, giving a clearer view of his position on this matter, and also a little insight on how he may be shaping a more positive Catholic discourse about LGBT issues for the future.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Pope Francis

During Francis’ visit with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at the Vatican,   the two spoke about many issues including ecumenical relations and global poverty, but it was their conversation about marriage equality which captured most  headlines.   Archbishop Welby has spoken out against the marriage equality bill in the United Kingdom which is still being considered by legislators there.

London’s Daily Mail noted that their views on marriage was a point of agreement that two shared:

“The meeting of minds on the controversial issue is a rare moment of agreement between the two churches amid strained relations.

“The Pope praised the Archbishop for ‘recalling the value of marriage’.

“He said: ‘ Particularly important is our witness to the reference to God and the promotion of Christian values in a world that seems at times to call into question some of the foundations of society, such as respect for the sacredness of human life or the importance of the institution of the family built on marriage, a value that you yourself have had occasion to recall recently.’”

London’s Telegraph also highlighted another important point of commonality:

Archbishop Welby said afterwards: ‘Our experience in the UK with [Roman Catholic] Archbishop Vincent [Nichols] and in our conversation today with the Pope is that we are absolutely at one on issues and equally we are at one in our condemnation of homophobic behaviour.’ ”

GayStarNews.com, not noted for praising the pope, had a favorable assessment of Francis’ statement to Archbishop Welby:

“Pope Francis has surprised in gay marriage talks by proving he is a more diplomatic figure than his predecessors.

“The leader of the Catholic Church deftly avoided speaking against gay rights while speaking to the head of the Anglican Church, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. . . .

“Most importantly, Francis did not say marriage should be based on a union between a man and a woman, which is how Benedict XVI and John Paul II repeatedly defined marriage.

“Vatican officials have said the talks were a diplomatic attempt to make his point without saying, for example, gay people were a ‘defection of human nature’.

“It is believed Francis has not made any headline-making statements on homosexuality and same-sex marriage due to the divisive, violent nature of the debates in France, which has seen widespread protests. “

Pope Francis also addressed French legislators at a Vatican meeting, and some of his comments have been interpreted as referring to France’s new marriage equality law.   OnTopMag.com reported:

“Speaking to members of the French Senate and Assembly at the Vatican, Francis told lawmakers that their ‘duty … involves proposing, amending and abolishing legislation.’

“ ‘However, it is also necessary to instill something extra in them, I would say a spirit, a soul, that does not limit itself to reflecting the modalities and ideas of the moment, but which also confers upon them the indispensable quality that elevates and dignifies the human person,’ Francis said, according to a transcript provided by Vatican Radio.”

Reuters also viewed these remarks as referring to France’s marriage equality law:

“Pope Francis urged a delegation of French lawmakers on Saturday to avoid following only ‘fashions and ideas of the moment,’ when legislating, in an apparent reference to the country’s legalisation of gay marriage last month.”

Gay commentator Michelangelo Signorile sees Pope Francis views on marriage equality as significantly different than his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI.   In a Huffington Post  essay entitled “Is Pope Francis Waving a White Flag on Gay Marriage?, Signorile compares these recent statements of Francis with Benedict’s involvement on the issue:

“Let’s put all of this in some perspective. In the time since Francis became pope, France became the largest predominantly Catholic country to pass marriage equality, right in the Vatican’s backyard. In the U.S., three states, including Rhode Island, which has the highest percentage of Catholics in the country, passed marriage equality. Predominantly Catholic Mexico continues to move forward on the issue in the courts, and Brazil’s National Council of Justice green-lighted gay marriage in that country, which would become the largest country in South America and the largest predominantly Catholic country in the world to allow gay marriage. Another Latin American country near the Argentine pope’s old stomping grounds, Uruguay, passed marriage equality in recent months, as did New Zealand.

“And Pope Francis had nothing publicly to say about any of it. Zero. Zilch. Nada. He was busy washing the feet of the poor and tweeting about how selflessness is a virtue. Go figure.

“Back when Spain passed marriage equality in 2005, Pope Benedict whirled himself into a frenzy, railing against it regularly. He told Catholic officials there that any support of the law would cost them their jobs and told secular public servants who are Catholic to flout the law and refuse to marry gays. He traveled to Spain and railed some more, oblivious toprotests of his trip. From then on, he regularly attacked gay marriage, even calling it a ‘threat to the future of humanity.’ “

Signorile’s conclusion on Francis:

“. . . having harshly railed against gay marriage back when he was in Argentina, only to lose that battle, he may be seeing that the handwriting is on the wall and that he’s got better things to do with his time.”

My own assessment of these statements is that Pope Francis realizes that the heavy-handed approach of his predecessor was causing too much pastoral damage to the church.  Time after time, Benedict’s statements caused more and more Catholics to be alienated from the institution.  Pope Francis’ approach, though not as positive as I would hope it to be, is a giant step forward for Catholic discourse about LGBT issues.  His more moderate and pastoral example will surely influence bishops around the world.  And when more bishops end their strident rhetoric against LGBT issues, we will see a reduction in homophobic attitudes and actions among Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

 

 

Tagged: Archbishop of Canterbury, Catholic, Catholic Church, Catholicism, discourse, France, Francis, Gay, Justin Welby, lesbian, LGBT, marriage equality, michelangelo signorile, Pope, Pope Francis, Same-sex marriage, Vatican

While Catholics in general are supportive of LGBT people, the church is still perceived as unwelcoming. This seems to indicate that the church is so identified with the positions assumed by its leadership that the reality among "rank-and-file" Catholics is rendered meaningless. Marianne T. Duddy-Burke http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marianne-t-duddyburke/

Supreme Court Justices

Since oral arguments were heard in March, speculation over how the Supreme Court will rule on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California’s Proposition 8 has been abuzz. With a decision coming soon, perhaps even today, Catholics are speaking out hopefully given recent state level victories.

National Catholic Reporter  (NCR) reports that few expect an overarching opinion similar to Lawrence v. Texas that struck down anti-sodomy laws. The NCR article predicts that marriage equality will be affirmed for California alone,  and that the court will strike down DOMA, which would allow federal benefits for those couples already married in states with marriage equality. For many legal observers, the vast options the Supreme Court justices possess is part of why the rulings may be limited.  If you’re interested, the NCR  article explains the various legal options. Further analysis of the effects striking down DOMA would have is also available at The Huffington Post.

However, legal speculation has not suppressed high hopes from both sides of the equality debate who express optimism for their cause. A recent poll reported by Religion News Service revealed 72% of Americans view full marriage equality as “inevitable,” broken down into 89% who already support it and 59% who oppose it. Notably, for the first time in Pew’s polling a majority, although slim at 51%, supported equal marriage rights. The implications are obvious to many Catholics reports National Catholic Reporter:

” ‘It shows that public opinion has reached the tipping point, and that it’s just a matter of time before more and more states adopt marriage equality,’ said Frank DeBernardo, director of New Ways Ministry, a Catholic gay rights group.”

At this point, 12 states and the District of Columbia have marriage equality on the books and three of these states – Rhode Island, Delaware, Minnesota- passed it this past May alone. Many supportive regions are also heavily Catholic which is no coincidence:

“Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, noted the high percentage of Catholics in Rhode Island and Minnesota, saying, ‘It shows that Catholics really do understand the basic dignity of human relationships, and that this is about love and commitment’…

” ‘People experience their cousin, their sister, their mother, their grandfather as a gay person and realize that the love that they share with their partners is just as deep, just as committed as anybody else’s,’ Duddy-Burke said…

” ‘Stereotypes about gay people are really becoming eradicated. They’re melting away,’ DeBernardo said, adding, ‘People are knowing that firsthand experience that gay and lesbian people are good citizens, are holy people and people who want to make a contribution to society.’ “

However the Supreme Court rulings turn out, the issue of marriage equality will not be settled and the work of advocating for same-gender marriage rights by Catholics will continue. Consider sending  New Ways Ministry’s publication, Marriage Equality: A Positive Catholic Approach, to a friend, pastor, bishop, or family member, either by mail here or as a free PDF file here.

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: bisexual, Catholic, Church, DOMA, faith, Gay, lesbian, LGBT, marriage equality, prop 8, Proposition 8, religion, SCOTUS, trans, transgender gay marriage

A few weeks ago, Bondings 2.0 reported on Australia’s Bishop Geoffrey Robinson’s call for a new Vatican Council to address the sex abuse crisis and sexuality generally.   Bishop Robinson led the investigation of Australia’s clergy sex abuse crisis, and the experience transformed his views on sex and power in the Catholic church.  Recently, Jamie Manson interviewed Bishop Robinson for The National Catholic Reporter.   At the close of the interview, Manson asked Robinson, “What keeps you hopeful?”  His answer:

‘Cardinal John Henry Newman, before he became a Catholic, wrote to a friend, ‘There is nothing on this earth so ugly as the Catholic Church and nothing so beautiful.’ We’ve all seen the ugliness, and abuse is one of the ugliest chapters of all, but I’ve also seen the beauty, mostly in all of the good people I’ve worked with over the years. I don’t want to just walk away and leave that beauty behind. So I’ll work to overcome the ugliness wherever I can.”

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: Australia, Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, Bishop Robinson, Catholic, Catholic Church, Gay, hope, Jamie Manson, John Henry Newman, lesbian, LGBT, National Catholic Reporter

Today, as the city of Portland, Oregon, celebrates LGBT Pride Day, a local Catholic parish will be marching in the parade, proclaiming God’s love for all, even though their archbishop has directed them not to do so.

St. Andrew Catholic Church

St. Andrew’s parish, a gay-friendly parish since the 1990′s, had announced their intention to take part in the parade, marching with their parish banner, a rainbow flag which says “Welcoming the Whole Family. St. Andrew Catholic Church.”  Three other Catholic parishes in Portland had also agreed to march:  St. Francis of Assisi, St. Philip Neri, St. Andre Bessette.  OregonLive.com reported that Portland’s Archbishop Alexander Sample directed them not to march:

“Monsignor Dennis O’Donovan, vicar general of theArchdiocese of Portland, called St. Andrew’s pastor, the Rev. Dave Zegar,  on May 31 on behalf of Sample, parishioners say. O’Donovan relayed the message that individuals could walk in the parade but that the archbishop did not want St. Andrew’s members to walk as a community.

“Sample, who was installed as archbishop April 2, is in San Diego to attend the annual summer meeting of United States bishops, according to Bud Bunce,  spokesman for the archdiocese. He could not be reached for comment.

“Bunce confirmed that O’Donovan had made the phone call. While the archdiocese respects all people, Bunce said, ‘this was not an event that St. Andrew’s parish could be in as a parish.’ “

But, St. Andrew’s parishioners thought otherwise:

“On June 4, [Rev. Dave] Zegar [pastor] met with a group of St. Andrew’s parishioners, who decided to stand by their 17-year commitment to Portland’s gay community. At Mass on Sunday, Zegar shared the group’s decision with the congregation, who responded with a standing ovation, according to Tom Karwaki, who chairs the parish’s pastoral council.”

There was no report about what the three other parishes would be doing.  The pastor of St. Andre Bessette parish said he had not been contacted by the archdiocese.

One parishioner expressed the need to be public in the parade:

“Joy Wallace, a member of St. Andrew’s since 1998,  says it is common for members of the gay community and their advocates to seek out St. Andrew’s because they’ve seen the parish represented in the annual Pride Parade.

” ‘The banner is important because it says we are a community of faith,’ says Jane Braunger, a parish member since the 1980s.  ’For us not to embrace this statement as a core commitment about openness and acceptance and living the Gospel is cowardly.’ “

In an interview with KGW.com,another parishioner expressed the evangelization function that parade participation accomplishes:

But Jerry Deas, a St. Andrew Parishioner says that’s simply not possible. They need the sign to identify themselves.

“ ‘That’s the one thing that [the banner] does. By people seeing that it’s St. Andrew, they know its St. Andrew and then they can come to St. Andrew. If we were just walking, just walking, they wouldn’t’t know who we were,’ said Deas.

“He also said the outreach works. People from the parade in years past have checked out St. Andrews and some have become full members of the church.

“ ‘So respectfully, we will then follow our conscience to reach out to present the good news as the Gospels call us to do and to welcome all people,’ said Deas.”

The issue will not end with the end of the parade, however.  Parishioners want an opportunity to talk with their archbishop about their decision to march:

“Karwaki said parishioners would like a chance to talk to the archbishop about their ministry and explain their commitment to the Pride Parade. He says Zegar asked for such a dialogue and the parish is drafting a letter to Sample.

” ‘We’re not acting out of disobedience,’ Karwaki said. ‘We’re acting out of obedience to the Gospel and the mission of this parish.’ “

New Ways Ministry congratulates the people of St. Andrew’s parish for witnessing on how important it is for them to welcome the LGBT community to their parish.  We are proud to have listed St. Andrew’s on our gay-friendly parish list  since its inception.  On their website, the parish mission states:

“St. Andrew is a faith community baptized into one body, which honors and celebrates diversity. We welcome and include persons of every color, language, ethnicity, origin, ability, sexual orientation, gender expression, marital status, and life situation.”

It is only when parishes trust their own discernment and experience and live up to their beliefs that real change will occur in the Catholic church.  May their efforts be fruitfully blessed by our loving God.

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

Related article:

U.S. Catholic:    LGBT Catholics and their church: Still a rocky relationship, but some signs of hope

Tagged: Archbishop Alexander Sample, Bud Bunce, Catholic, Gay, Jane Braunger, Jerry Deas, Joy Wallace, lesbian, LGBT, Monsignor Dennis O'Donovan, New Ways Ministry, Oregon, parish, Philip Neri, Portland, Pride, Pride parade, Reverend Dave Zegar, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, St. Andrew parish, Tom Karwaki

A report released by Faith in Public Life exposes a campaign by conservative Catholics to undermine the American bishops’ leading anti-poverty initiative, in part because of connections that grant recipients have with LGBT advocacy groups.

The report shows how ideologically-driven critics are influencing the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) to move away from any group connected to a pro-LGBT organization.  While attacks by ideologically-driven critics are not new, this report displays in full the deteriorating impact they are having. These critics engage in what is being labeled ‘Catholic McCarthyism’ as they seek out tangential connections to advocacy on causes the Catholic hierarchy opposes to then pin on CCHD.

David Gibson of Religion News Services reports on Faith in Public Life’s study, offering a synopsis of the conservative attacks and their effects:

“Critics also accuse the program of working with non-Catholic groups that undermine battles against abortion and gay rights that they say should dominate the bishops’ agenda.

“A number of bishops and some parishes have halted or discouraged CCHD collections in their dioceses after hearing charges – almost all of which have proven unfounded – that the CCHD funds groups that promote same-sex marriage or reproductive rights..

“[After 2011 reforms] the anti-CCHD campaign continued, and it has succeeded in having a number of grants rescinded by arguing that some recipients worked with organizations that do not always endorse or promote the church’s teaching on sexuality.”

Archbishop Fiorenza Speaking for Economic Justice at USCCB Meeting

CCHD supporters argue against limiting funding to Catholic activities and those in line with the hierarchy’s opposition to abortion and marriage equality, noting the broad range of issues the Church advocates and acts for in secular society. One defender of the program is former USCCB president Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza, whom Gibson writes about at dotCommonweal:

“As Fiorenza says in the report, the Catholic Church has always worked with groups that it may not agree with completely, but as long as the church wasn’t directly supporting or endorsing that group’s objectionable goal, there wasn’t a problem. He fears that is changing, to the detriment of the church and the country:

” ‘At a time when poverty is growing and people are hurting we should not withdraw from our commitment to helping the poor. Catholic identity is far broader than opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage. Catholic identity is a commitment to living the Gospel as Jesus proclaimed it, and this must include a commitment to those in poverty.’ “

Critiquing LGBT advocacy may be a smokescreen for those who oppose CCHD’s activities which are primarily focused on anti-poverty efforts. An article at U.S. Catholic analyzes what might be underlying the obsession with sexuality:

“Reading through the arguments against CCHD, you’ll find that there isn’t just a concern about ‘anti-Catholic’ activities but a general skepticism surrounding ‘community organizing,’ which has somehow gotten a bad reputation in Catholic circles…

“The work of CCHD-funded groups…aims to empower people to change their situations…If we change the structures that are keeping people on the margins of society, that requires admitting that there’s something wrong with those structures that we have failed to address…

“The criticism of government assistance and social welfare programs for the poor is well documented. But I wonder if…they’d rather see the church stay out of social justice even if it means fewer people would actually need that government assistance to stay on their feet. Maybe all of this digging for possible connections or associations that would discredit CCHD and its grant recipients is less about a concern for keeping the church pure and more about just not helping the poor.”

David Gibson seemingly concurs with this assessment, and notes the breadth of support for Faith in Public Life’s report within church leadership. It rises above partisan back and forth as a genuine statement by Catholics defending the Church’s social teachings against those who would do away with social justice completely. Many express hope that these attacks against CCHD and the Church’s systemic anti-poverty efforts generally will weaken with Pope Francis’ new tone. Archbishop Fiorenza, Gibson writes, is:

“…hopeful that Francis’ priority on identifying the church with the poor would make an impression of some of the bishops who have bought into the criticisms of the CCHD.

“ ‘I’m confident that if Pope Francis knew about the CCHD program he would say, “God bless the American bishops!” for doing what they can to help the poor,” Fiorenza told me.

“I recommend reading the FPL report as well as Francis’ daily homilies. It seems he doesn’t go a day without preaching about social justice. Gay marriage and our favorite American topics, not so much.”

Hopefully, those criticizing the US bishops’ main anti-poverty effort will be honest about their intentions and stop using the LGBT community as hostages in this debate. Taking a cue from Pope Francis’ different tone, a little less focus on marriage and a little more focus on the poor might be a healthy step forward.

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza, bisexual, Bishop, Catholic, CCHD, Church, economics, Gay, lesbian, LGBT, poverty, queer, trans, Transgender, USCCB

Carla Hale

Ohio’s Columbus Catholic schools office upheld a decision last week to fire teacher Carla Hale, whose same-gender partner became public in her mother’s obituary earlier this year. This most recent act comes after the Catholic teachers’ union refused to back Hale, but grassroots support grows as friends, family, and supporters nationwide speak out.

Superintendent Lucia McQuaide sent Hale a letter reaffirming the discriminatory firing, the contents of which were reported on by LGBTQ Nation. The “40-word, one paragraph letter” simply upheld the high school’s firing without acknowledging the surrounding controversy and was released by Hale’s lawyer to the media.

That lawyer, Thomas Tooley, called the superintendent’s letter just another step as Hale’s firing moves along in the legal system. Although LGBT employees are not protected under federal or state law, the City of Columbus does include a non-discrimination law for them and Hale has filed a complaint with the Community Relations Commission.

Hale’s daughter and partner spoke to The Columbus Dispatch, offering hope-filled words that justice will win out for this 19-year veteran educator:

“[Daughter Courtney] Hale said she and her two older brothers, along with the rest of their blended family, are standing behind their mom…

“ ‘I think it’s important for the public to see all of the support that she’s getting…hopefully, a change will come about with this, even if it’s not somebody changing their mind, just becoming more accepting and understanding.”

“[Hale's] partner, Julie Uncapher, said she, too, hopes Hale’s fight brings about change — in Catholic-school contracts, for students and for other teachers in a similar situation. She said the Catholic school should ‘be able to open up, to accept and love thy neighbor like they state.’ “

Carla Hale with daughter, Courtney, and partner, Julie

With more than 130,00 signatures on the Change.org petition and an active #HaleStormOhio campaign, Hale has supporters outside Columbus too. One alum from Bishop Watterson High School wrote in to The New York Times that he mailed back his diploma over Hale’s firing.

His letter was a response to Frank Bruni’s column in The New York Times that speaks to the crux of this matter:

“No one at the Catholic high school that fired Carla Hale in March claimed that she was anything less than a terrific physical education teacher and coach, devoted to the kids and adored by many of them…

“And at a kitchen table here in central Ohio, a typically cheerful woman dabbed her eyes and wondered aloud what she’d done wrong.

“The answer is in one sense simple: she made a life with another woman.”

Meanwhile, The Columbus Dispatch also reported that an Ohio labor group is calling for the Columbus bishop to dialogue about work issues:

“The AFL-CIO in central Ohio has partnered with a grass-roots advocacy group to ask the Roman Catholic bishop of Columbus to participate in a panel discussion on the rights of gay people in workplaces, specifically faith-based workplaces.

“The union organization’s Pride @ Work Ohio constituency group and #halestormOhio made the request to Bishop Frederick Campbell yesterday in response to the Columbus diocese’s refusal to reinstate Carla Hale, a lesbian teacher who was fired from Bishop Watterson High School in Clintonville.”

The diocesan spokesperson said he had not seen the invitation, and was non-committal about a possible response from the bishop.

Developments in the case of Carla Hale case are more interesting now that an Ohio court rewarded a lesbian teacher fired in Cincinnati $170,000 for being unjustly fired from a Catholic high school there. Experts already speculated that Hale’s case would raise many questions about Church and State relations around employees. Closer to home, the Diocese of Columbus is in another controversy after asking a local politician to skip his commencement address at a local graduation because of his public support for marriage equality.

To read more about Bondings 2.0 reporting on Carla Hale, see the links below:

May 20, 2013: Ohio Catholic Teachers’ Union Denies Support to Fired Lesbian Woman

May 8, 2013: Carla Hale’s Firing Raises Questions of Law and Church Policy

April 26, 2013: In the Wake of Discrimination, Carla Hale Hopes Students See Love and Support

April 24, 2013: Fired Lesbian Teacher Offers Hope Through Vulnerability

April 22, 2013: Support for Fired Lesbian Teacher Grows Rapidly As She Speaks Out

April 17, 2013: Lesbian Teacher Fired For Listing Her Partner’s Name In Her Mother’s Obituary

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: bisexual, Bishop Watterson, Carla Hale, Catholic, Church, civil rights, education, employment rights, faith, firing, Gay, high school, job, lesbian, LGBT, Lucia McQuaide, queer, religion, rights, school, trans, Transgender

All Saints Catholic Church in Syracuse held a prayer service during Pride celebrations, which celebrated LGBT people and honored all those struggling for equality. Fr. Fred Daley, the church’s pastor who ‘came out’ as gay in 2004, gathered an interfaith assembly of several dozen for the service. He spoke about why a Catholic church would host such an event:

“Our mission is to be open and welcoming to all people. I think that often religion of all types lose focus on that and can instead become instruments of isolation and segregation. We are trying to be sure to do our best to stop that at All Saints…

“This is about God’s love – God made all of us, and we teach that God is good. This event tonight is about inclusion and where there is inclusion there is light.”

You can read more about the prayer service at CNYCentral.com and view the video below to hear more from Fr. Daley.

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: bisexual, Catholic, celebration, Gay, interfaith, lesbian, LGBT, prayer, Pride, priest, queer, rainbow, Syracuse, trans, Transgender

John O’Grady

Catholic schools in Columbus, Ohoio are facing controversy again after a high school removed the invited commencement speaker because he openly supporting marriage equality.

John O’Grady, an Ohio politician and Commissioner of Franklin County, was asked by Bishop Ready High School to skip graduation ceremonies last weekend after initially inviting him to speak. Administrators at his alma mater referenced a decision by Bishop Frederick Campbell against O’Grady due to his public support of marriage equality.

The Columbus Dispatch broke the news of O’Grady’s absence after speaking with Bob Bair, a Bishop Ready alum, who heard rumors that O’Grady would miss the ceremony. The paper reports:

“One of [Bair's] daughters, who will be a senior this fall, attended the commencement and told him that the program still listed O’Grady as the speaker. Students were told by [Principal Celene] Seamen that something had come up and the commissioner would not be able to speak.”

The principal ended up giving an address, leaving Bair and others with questions about why O’Grady could not attend:

“Bair said O’Grady has been a proactive member of the alumni community at Ready, contributing to school fundraisers and sponsoring sports teams even though his own children attend other schools.

“He said the commissioner gave a well-received speech to National Honor Society inductees in the school’s chapel last fall.”

ThinkProgress in reporting on this story notes the troubling reality that if The Columbus Dispatch had not reported the news about O’Grady’s absence

“…the school would have left the crowd believing O’Grady had blown off the speech instead of taking responsibility for disinviting him. If the diocese feels it needs to hide the fact that it refuses to associate with people just because they support marriage equality, it reveals an understanding that such choices are wrong.”

For his part, John O’Grady is not upset with administrators at Bishop Ready High School and said he still appreciates the original invite. The decision is attributed to Bishop Campbell, who has been involved in another LGBT case involvling Columbus Catholic schools. Earlier this spring the bishop supported another Catholic high school which fire lesbian educator Carla Hale after she listed her partner’s name in her mother’s obituary.

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

Pope Francis and the leadership of CLAR

In the same conversation that Pope Francis spoke about a ‘gay lobby’ in the Vatican, he also provided hopeful words for America’s women religious and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) currently experiencing Vatican censure.

According to report by National Catholic Reporter, Pope Francis met with leaders of the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious Men and Women (CLAR) and urged religious to live the gospels without too much concern for the Vatican’s politics. The key quote:

“‘Perhaps even a letter of the Congregation for the Doctrine (of the Faith) will arrive for you, telling you that you said such or such thing … But do not worry. Explain whatever you have to explain, but move forward … Open the doors, do something there where life calls for it. I would rather have a Church that makes mistakes for doing something than one that gets sick for being closed up…’”

One facet of the Vatican’s gripe with American Sisters has been their welcome to LGBT Catholics. New Ways Ministry continues to support the sisters in their struggle, and if you would like to become involved you can visit the Nun Justice website.

For full coverage by Bondings 2.0 of the American women religious’ courageous stand, you can click here.

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: LCWR, Pope Francis

Pope Francis

A CNN news report yesterday said that Pope Francis stated that he believes there is a a “gay lobby” working inside the Vatican.  According to the report:

“ ‘In the Curia,’ Francis said, referring to Catholicism’s central bureaucracy, ‘there are holy people. But there is also a stream of corruption.’

“ ‘The “gay lobby” is mentioned, and it is true, it is there,’ Francis continued. ‘We need to see what we can do.’ ”

His remark was made during a meeting with the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious Men and Women, the head Catholic communities of men and women religious.

The announcement was all the more intriguing because at the time of Benedict XVI’s resignation, there were reports based on rumors that a “gay lobby” may have played some role in his decision to leave the papal office.

Such an announcement by the pope is both puzzling and a bit irresponsible.  As Rocco Palmo, who blogs at whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com, stated in the CNN report:

“We don’t have any explanation of what ‘gay lobby’ means.”

Because the term is so undefined and because the pope did not expand on the claim, he has left a great deal of opportunity for people to speculate and imagine all sorts of plots, intrigue, and machinations.

Of course, I certainly believe that gay men and lesbian women work in the Vatican, as they do at all levels of the church, and in all segments of society.  Are they plotting together in some way to harm the church?  I doubt it.  That sort of idea works only in Dan Brown novels.  Are there some gay men there who may not have the best motivations for church work?  Certainly, just as there are plenty of heterosexual men in the church who are similarly impaired.  We’re human.  All of us: gay and straight.

There are several lessons that can be learned from the pope’s statement:

1) Most importantly, no such rumors would have any affect if the leaders at the Vatican would have a more open view toward homosexuality.  As long as church leaders continue to deny LGBT people their equal dignity, they will continue to manufacture them as “bogey-men” who lurk in the shadows.  The fact that a 2005 Vatican document strongly discouraged gay men from being ordained guaranteed that gay men who wanted to be ordained would have to deny their sexuality, thus leading to unhealthy personalities.

2) The pope needs to learn more about homosexuality and the reality of gay and lesbian lives.  Let’s suppose for a moment that indeed there is a group of gay men in the Vatican who have formed a “lobby” together to advance an agenda.   Are there no other such “lobbies” in the Vatican?  Of course, there are.  So, then, why does Pope Francis label this “gay lobby” as “a stream of corruption?”  Such a statement reveals a homophobic attitude that is not worthy of such a world leader, let alone a religious figure.

3) While Pope Francis has endeared himself to the world by speaking frankly and off the cuff many times, an example such as this shows the downside of such a style.  The fact that he made an allusion to the existence of such a group without providing any details or evidence is a very harmful thing to do.  It allows speculation, and worse, vilification of gay people.  It portrays them as duplicitous, deceptive, conniving–all vicious stereotypes.  The power and attention that any statement of the pope receives means that he needs to be careful about promoting such harmful untruths.

4)  Finally,  this incident reminds us all how much the Catholic Church needs a full and open dialogue about LGBT people.  As long as our leaders continue to operate with blinders about LGBT issues, they will continue to harm not only LGBT people, but the entire church, by their ignorance of an important part of human reality.

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: Catholic Church, gay lobby, gay lobby in the Vatican, gay priests, lesbian, LGBT, Pope, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis, Rocco Palmo, Vatican

Bishop Joseph Sullivan

There have been a number of good obituaries for the recent passing of retired Brooklyn Diocese Auxiliary Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan.  The New York  Times’ account is probably the most complete.  All of the tributes I read understandably focused on Bishop Sullivan’s lifetime of work defending the poor and powerless as a Catholic Charities administrator on both local and national levels.  None, however, mentioned the fact that Bishop Sullivan, in his “retirement,” became a powerful and effective advocate for LGBT people in both church and society.

Bishop Sullivan began his ministry as all good ministry begins: he listened.  In the early 2000′s he regularly met with a group of LGBT Catholics and family members in Brooklyn, listening to their stories of marginalization and faith.  Moved by this experience, he began to help a number of parishes in Brooklyn and Queens, New York, to develop LGBT outreach ministries.  He supported those ministries powerfully, often speaking with pastors to let them know that they had his support if people objected to these programs.  He would often visit parishes to speak with parishioners who were not necessarily convinced that LGBT outreach was a good thing to do.

At the U.S. Bishops’ Conference meeting in November 2006, Bishop Sullivan spoke on the floor against the draft of the bishops’ document, “Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination: Guidelines for Pastoral Care.”  He called, instead, for a more compassionate pastoral approach than the document reflected.  Unfortunately, he was in the minority, and his suggestion did not prevail.

In 2007,  Bishop Sullivan was one of two bishops (the other was Archbishop Francis Hurley of Anchorage, Alaska) to speak at New Ways Ministry’s Sixth National Symposium on Homosexuality and Catholicism in Minneapolis, Minnesota.   He did so, even though the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had asked him not to be part of the program.  He traveled to the symposium by air,  even though the entire Northeast was crippled by a terrible snow storm.  Throughout the weekend, he was available to chat, and mostly listen, to many LGBT people, family members and pastoral ministers.

In 2011, in the midst of New York State’s debate on enacting marriage equality legislation, Bishop Sullivan published an op-ed in support of LGBT equality in The Buffalo News.  It was a compassionate essay, encouraging acceptance and understanding.  Though it is impossible to say that this essay had any influence on the debate, it is curious that only about a week after it appeared, a Republican state senator from Buffalo, who is Catholic, announced that he was switching his position and supporting marriage equality.  His was a critical deciding vote in the close contest.

In that op-ed, Bishop Sullivan stated:

“. . . Catholics are among those who increasingly are reaching out pastorally to the LGBT community. A recent study released by the Public Religion Research Institute found that a majority of Catholics believe that job discrimination against gay and lesbian people should be outlawed. By almost 2 to 1, Catholics believe that gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to adopt children.

“The views of Catholics about the LGBT community have been evolving for years. Catholic teachings compel us to work toward the elimination of unjust structures and to treat people with dignity, regardless of their state in life or their beliefs. My own understanding of this community has also evolved over the course of four decades of ministry.

“Given that Catholics represent approximately one-quarter of the U. S. population, the changing attitudes of Catholics toward greater degrees of LGBT equality most likely will be a significant influence in the public square. Across the country there are increasing numbers of parishes that welcome LGBT parishioners and their families to active participation in the church. Catholic colleges and universities are in dialogue with their LGBT students, and Catholic retreat houses provide retreats specifically for LGBT Catholics.

“Catholics and other religious people who support LGBT rights do so because of their experience of engagement with members of the LGBT community. They are not rebels in their churches, but people who have taken spiritual messages of inclusiveness and welcoming to heart. They are taking the church’s teaching on social justice and applying it to pastoral practice in engaging the LGBT community.”

Bishop Sullivan’s support for LGBT issues had an earlier incarnation, too.  In 1985 he was in charge of Catholic Charities in the Brooklyn Diocese, which comprises about half of New York City.  At that time, in the New York Archdiocese (the other half of the city), Archbishop John O’Connor was threatening to withdraw $60 million in contracts that his diocese had with New York City to run child care facilities.   The reason for this threat was that Mayor Ed Koch had just issued Executive Order 50, which forbade agencies that had contracts with the city to discriminate in hiring practices on the basis of sexual orientation.  Cardinal O’Connor did not want to go along with this anti-discrimination law.

In the midst of the furor, which made headlines daily in New York, Bishop Sullivan, issued a statement that said that Catholic Charities in the Brooklyn Diocese had no problem with following Executive Order 50 because it promoted the good of non-discrimination.  Though in a much less powerful position than Cardinal O’Connor, he did not back down from opposing him in public on this issue of justice.

dotCommonweal blogger Paul Moses had this to say about Bishop Sullivan:

“In a better church, Brooklyn’s retired auxiliary bishop Joseph Sullivan would have headed a large diocese. He certainly had the ability and the track record, but it was not to be – no doubt because he was viewed as too liberal.

“Nonetheless, he made enormous contributions to the church and to his city, and they will be remembered.”

I think that “in a better church,” we would have more bishops like Bishop Sullivan, who was not afraid to take a minority position in the defense of justice.

Catholics who support LGBT equality and justice now have a new saint to whom we can pray.  May he rest in peace.

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: Auxiliary bishop, Bishop Joseph Sullivan, Bishop Sullivan, Brooklyn, Catholic, Catholicism, Gay, lesbian, LGBT, marriage equality, New Ways Ministry, obituary, pastoral ministry, Same-sex marriage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqiTDudGsP0


Marianne felt that sitting in the pew, and listening to something that was hurtful to her family wasn't an option!!!

Listen to this Listening Parent and PFLAG mom!!!

Here are some items that you might find of interest:

1) WitsVuvuzela.com reports on Holy Trinity Catholic Church’s outreach to the LGBT community in Braamfontein, a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa.  Father Russell Pollitt, pastor, commented:  “I think the problem with religion is that we don’t think things through. We tend to think things in black and white…whereas human life is really grey.”

2) Tim Nelson, an educator who said he was not hired for an administrative job because the potential employer thought he was gay, has filed a discrimination complaint against the Regis Catholic schools system in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, according to LGBTQNation.com.

3)  The city of Split, Croatia, a heavily Catholic nation, held its second gay pride parade over the weekend, with 500 people calling for equal marriage laws in that country, according to GlobalPost.com.  The march went on peacefully, in contrast to the same event two years ago, when 10,000 anti-gay protesters threw stones at the 200 people in the parade.

4) Scotland’s The Herald reports that Father Tom White, head of St. Margaret’s Children and Family Care Society, has promised to sue the government if the adoption agency is forced by law to place children with lesbian and gay couples.  Earlier this year, the Catholic adoption agency was found to be discriminatory in its placement practices.

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: Braamfontein, Catholic, Croatia, Father Russell Pollitt, Father Tom White, Gay, Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Johannesburg, lesbian, LGBT, Split, St Margaret's Children and Family Care Society, Tim Nelson

House of Lords

As equal marriage progresses in the UK, religious officials increasingly warn of the consequences that passage of this bill could bring if further religious freedom protections are not implemented. The Catholic bishops are now warning the Church may exit civil marriage licensing altogether if the bill is passed as is, but many people of faith who affirm equality are pushing right back

The Telegraph reports on unprecedented movement by religious organizations to add amendments, or just end the legislation for marriage equality altogether as the House of Lords considers it:

“Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist leaders have signed a letter to the Prime Minister, pleading with him to abandon the legislation. . . .

“Allowing couples of the same sex to marry will cause ‘injustice and unfairness’, the signatories said, accusing Mr Cameron of rushing the legislation through Parliament to prevent proper scrutiny…

“The bill is expected to face stiff resistance from members of the House of Lords. . .and could even be rejected there. That would raise the prospect of a constitutional struggle between ministers in the Commons and the upper house.”

In April, the Catholic hierarchy began calling for greater religious protections when the House of Commons was voting on equal marriage. The Telegraph reports that in the UK, as in other areas, Catholic priests act as agents of the state in recognizing civil licenses. This caused the bishops to worry that it leaves priests performing marriages open to lawsuits for discrimination and expensive litigation. The end result might be Catholic churches refusing to perform marriages for the government.

However, English people of faith are objecting to these religious arguments against equal marriage. Terence Weldon of Queering the Church questions these “terrible consequences” arguments, noting the lack of any negative outcomes against religion in jurisdictions with existing equal marriage rights:

“The most important consequence of extending marriage is (surprise!) people getting married…

“The core problem with Catholic bishops’ pronouncements on gay marriage, and on human sexuality more generally, is that they are usually based entirely on speculation and supposition, made with little or no recourse to evidence – and none at all to the real–life experience of loving, committed sexual relationships, of which they have none themselves.”

He also addresses the religious liberty claims as false because everywhere that marriage equality exists, and in the pending UK legislation, ample protections are in place for religions to pursue their beliefs unhindered. Weldon unearths the rub in this most recent UK religious leadership’s push:

“What [the law] does not do, and the bishops appear to want, is to allow people of faith to discriminate in their secular lives, against people who do not share their views, or to prevent those denominations that believe with the Gospels in the importance of full equality and inclusion for all, from exercising their own freedom of religion.”

A Conservative MP, Damian Collins, wrote in The Huffington Post that religious liberty arguments cut both ways, and churches wishing to recognize same-gender couples in marriage should be allowed to do so.

Writing against disingenuous Anglican and Catholic opposition, Stephen Hough of The Telegraph envisions a future focused less on protecting the rights of those who would discriminate, and more on one guided by evangelizing as Christians in support of true equality. He attributes this most recent advancement in human rights to Christianity itself and advocates equal marriage as a way of uplifting Christian faith today:

“It is precisely because gradual moral development over the centuries led us to see human relationships as more than mere procreation that gay people want to get married…the theological insights which have explored marriage as a covenant, a sacrament, an imitation of the inner life of the Trinity could greatly enrich the same-sex relationships of so many…pastoral concern may well be one of the best ways to ensure a future of ‘the general social good’ and even the survival of a national Church of England.

“Overturning the biblical approval of slavery raised Christianity to a new height of moral dignity in the 19th century; overturning prejudice against gay people should become the church’s triumph of the 21st.”

The ongoing debate on equal marriage in the UK is bringing up old arguments for and against, but also new considerations about a more LGBT-positive religious community and the relations between Church and State. Bondings 2.0 will continue updating our readers as the bill progresses.

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: Anglican, bisexual, britain, Catholic, Church, Freedom of religion, Gay, House of Lords, lesbian, Marriage, marriage equality, politics, queer, religion, Religious Liberty, Same-sex marriage, trans transgender, UK

It’s been a busy week in the Philippines for Catholic LGBT news, with three big stories making headlines there and around the globe:  1) the top female singer in the nation came out as a lesbian, though a Catholic official was critical of her announcement;  2) a newspaper apologized for printing an anti-Catholic cartoon that had a lesbian theme;  3) the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines predicted that marriage equality would face strong opposition in that nation.  We will report on all three in this post.

1) Top Singer comes out as a lesbian

Charice Pempengco

Charice Pempengco, a top Filipino singer who at one time played an exchange student on the popular American television show, Glee, came out as a lesbian this week in a television interview.

According to an Associate Press story in the Washington Post, Pempengco apologized for any hurt her announcement might cause her mother and brother:

“ ‘I don’t know what the problem with that is because for me, that isn’t a problem,’ Charice said, adding, ‘To all those who will accept me, thank you very, very much.’ ”

Yet she also expressed pride and relief:

“Charice said that after her public coming out, she could now ‘leave my house without hiding anything.’ ”

Reverend Melvin Castro, a high-ranking Catholic Church official, had criticism for the announcement:

“Castro, the executive secretary of the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, asked the public not to judge the singer while she is still trying to ‘discover her real feelings.’

“With spiritual counseling, she may still realize she is really heterosexual, he said.

“ ‘If her situation is really same-sex attraction, then we have to help her live a life that is celibate and pure,’ Castro told The Associated Press.”

2. Comic Strip Controversy

The Philippine Daily Inquirer, one of the nation’s leading newspapers, apologized for printing a comic strip in which it suggested that the nuns and students at Manila’s all-girls St. Scholastica College are lesbian.

The offending comic strip.

In addition, the newspaper suspended the comic strip, Pugad Baboy, (Nest of Pigs), and the cartoonist Apolonario Pol Medina, Jr., until an investigation is conducted, according to The Bangkok Post.

The Wall Street Journal provided a description of the offending cartoon:

“In the controversial June 4 strip, a new character, lesbian atheist Coleen Tang,  accused Catholics of being hypocrites because, she says, all-girl schools run by nuns condone lesbian relationships of students even as the Church condemns homosexual activity. Another character said that at a school in Manila, which is run by the Benedictine Sisters, you wouldn’t find a pretty student without a girlfriend. ‘Could it be that nuns are also lesbians,’ asked another character in the strip. (Remark is translated into English.)”

The Wall Street Journal  also reported that he school’s administrators are considering a law suit:

“But St. Scholastica’s College, the exclusive school specifically mentioned in Pugad Baboy strip, isn’t laughing. It’s considering suing. Meanwhile, alumni of the all-girl school in Manila took to social media to complain, running a Twitter thread #RespectScholasticans. The school wants to talk with the Inquirer and Mr. Medina.

“On its official Twitter page,  St. Scholastica’s published a letter from school President Sr. Mary Thomas Prado explaining what happened. It also quoted a portion of the letter sent to the Inquirer to protest ‘in the strongest possible terms the way the school was singled out and our Sister-administrators accused of allowing homosexual relationships between its female students.’ ”

3. Catholic Bishops’ Conference on Marriage Equality

ABS-CBNnews.com reported that an official at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines are predicting a tough battle for any news laws that would legalize both divorce and marriage equality:

Archbishop Jose Palma

“The head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) believes any proposal to legalize divorce and gay marriage in the Philippines will not come easy.

“In a CBCPNews report, CBCP President and Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said any proposed legislation to legalize divorce or gay marriage will experience the same fierce opposition posed against the controversial Reproductive Health Law. The RH Law was passed by Congress last year but its implementation has been delayed by the Supreme Court.”

It will be interesting to see what Philippine lay Catholics think, since a recent report shows that they are strongly supportive of LGBT people and issues.

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: Apolonario Pol Medina, Archbishop Jose Palma, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Catholic Church, Cebu, Charice, Charice Pampengco, Glee, Jr., Manila, Philippines, Philippines Daily Inquirer, Pugad Baboy, St. Scholastica College

This couple made a video about their coming out experience!  What a wonderful gift for their son and the rest of their fortunate family!!!

Please take a moment or two and watch as Pat and Jenny speak of their experience! This was made for a marriage equality campaign.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj8dSPjxXfw&feature=youtu.be

In the United States, the general population has been growing accustomed to realizing that Catholics are strongly supportive of LGBT justice and equality.  Poll after poll keeps showing that Catholics lead all Christian denominations in their support for issues like marriage equality.

Therefore, it should come as little surprise to find out that, according to a new survey of 39 nations by the Pew Research Center, when one looks at the global picture of LGBT acceptance, one finds that traditionally Catholic countries stand out as far more accepting than other nations.   What’s more, the United States is not the leader in global acceptance of LGBT people.

A Washington Post news article highlighted some of the relevant statistics along these lines:

“The broadest acceptance was found in countries where religion is not central to life, such as Canada (80 percent), France (77 percent) and Australia (79 percent). Yet the poll also found high levels of tolerance toward gay people in some heavily Catholic countries, including Spain (86 percent), Italy (74 percent), Argentina (74 percent) and the Philippines (73 percent). In the United States, 60 percent of the public said gay people should be accepted in society.”

The United States, in contrast, had only a 60 percent rate of acceptance.

Gary Gates, a demographer at The Williams Institute, which tracks LGBT issues in surveys, gave one explanation of why strongly religious nations may be more accepting:

“There are cultures where religion is a very, very important factor, as a regular part of daily life. In those countries, it’s harder to distinguish what’s religious and what’s culture. But in other countries, like Italy or Spain, the culture has always had a live-and-let-live dimension to it. Even with a very strong religious presence, you see that kind of attitude coming out.”

Results for factors other than religion tended to mirror the trends seen in the United States.  The Washington Post reported:

“As in the United States, age was a factor. The Pew study said those younger than 30 are more accepting of homosexuals in society than people who are 30 to 49. Both groups are more likely to express tolerance of gays than people 50 or older.

“The Pew poll generally found little difference in attitudes held by men and women in any given country. But in countries where there is a difference, women are more accepting of homosexuality than men are, Pew said.”

BusinessInsider.com reported that other than religion, high national income levels also tended to be a strong predictor of acceptance:

“Roughly, an increase in GDP [gross domestic product] of $620 is good for one percentage point more people agreeing with the statement ‘homosexuality should be accepted by society.’ “

BusinessInsider.com  noted that one of the important exceptions to this rule was the Philippines:

“The biggest outperformer on acceptance is the Philippines, again heavily Catholic, where Pew finds levels of acceptance comparable to western Europe despite per capita GDP of less than $5,000.”

The Washington Post said that the new study’s results were corroborated by a similar earlier study:

“A smaller study, conducted in 2011 by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, found support for homosexual behavior growing in 27 of 31 countries. The highest level of acceptance was in northern Europe, while disapproval remained strong in Russia and several other Eastern European countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union.”

It seems that the news of acceptance across the globe just keeps getting better and better, especially where Catholics are concerned!

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: Catholic, Catholic Church, Catholicism, Gary Gates, Gay, lesbian, LGBT, National Opinion Research Center, Pew Research Center, Philippines, United States, Williams Institute

Further reactions from Catholic leadership are emerging two weeks after the Boy Scouts of America decided to allow openly gay youth participate in the organization, Bishops, priests, and theologians are split in their responses.

Two more dioceses, in Kentucky and in Illinois, released statements affirming a continued relationship between the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts. Kentucky.com reports that the Diocese of Lexington will not withdraw parish sponsorships for local scouting troops, quoting spokesperson Thomas Shaughnessy:

” ‘According to Catholic teaching, any kind of unjust discrimination against people who feel a same-sex attraction is never justified…

” ‘Within the frame of Scouting, there’s nothing to do with sexual activity…So it’s really a non-issue. The Catholic Church also teaches that any heterosexual person should not engage in any sexual activity outside of marriage. All people are called to live a chaste life.’ “

The Chicago Tribune reports the Diocese of Rockford similarly welcomed the Boy Scouts’ decision, contrasting with a Rockford diocesan priest, Fr. Brian Grady, who wrote a letter about his decision to expel St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s parish troop last week. Bishop David Malloy of Rockford stated:

” ‘At this time, it is my hope that we, in the Diocese of Rockford, will not need to discontinue partnering with the Boy Scouts of America in the healthy formation of young men.’ “

The bishop’s words may not help Jeff Nacpil, a Scout leader and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parishioner, who is now planning to leave the parish with his family because of Fr. Grady’s anti-gay actions and told the Tribune:

” ‘It’s really a shame…We really liked the church outside these issues. But I don’t agree with its discriminatory practices. Part of Catholic teaching is showing everyone respect.’ “

For their part, the National Catholic Committee on Scouting backed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has  endorsed the Boy Scouts’ new policy, while bishops seem split so far.

Commenting from the pews, several Catholic voices are speaking out about their dissatisfaction with the new policy because it does not extend far enough since gay scout leaders are still prohibited. Richard Gaillardetz, a father of four Scouts and Catholic theologian, wrote in the National Catholic Reporter about why the Scouts’ decision remains problematic:

“Catholic bishops and parishes should reassess their support because the Scouts continue to ban gay and lesbian leaders. It is the latter policy, not the former, that stands in conflict with Catholic teaching…

“The official position of the Boy Scouts of America is irreconcilable with the Catholic teaching on the dignity of gay and lesbian persons and its vital distinction between sexual orientation and sexual behavior…[welcoming LGBT youth and leaders] is a matter of recognizing the fundamental dignity of gays and lesbians and their right not to be discriminated against simply because of their sexual orientation.”

Mike Sweitzer-Beckman, another columnist at National Catholic Reporter compared the unequal policy about youth and leaders to a “glass ceiling” rooted in an ignorance about homosexuality, but also offered a glimmer of hope:

“It seems this mismatched policy would imply there is a hope that boys would outgrow homosexuality or that maturity would lead them to realize they are not gay. Similar to the bishops’ “Always Our Children,” there is a “love the sinner, hate the sin” approach, but not a complete respect for the idea that sexual orientation is not something a person chooses. There is a glass ceiling for how far gay Scouts can go before they have to chart their own path outside of the organization…

“One thing the Scouts and the church can certainly agree on is having glass ceilings for certain members based on identity categories. With Pope Francis bringing a breath of fresh air to the Vatican…We may be seeing it trickle down as a new sense of welcoming enters the Vatican, and perhaps some of these glass ceilings will be shattered to allow those who feel called to a role to play that role.”

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: bisexual, Boy Scouts, Catholic, Church, Gay, glass cieling, Homosexuality, inclusion, lesbian, LGBT, queer, scouting, trans, Transgender