Nicholas Coppola holding a copy of the petition.

This is the story of one of the strangest moves that I’ve ever heard of coming from a bishop.  A little over a week ago, we reported that Nicholas Coppola, a gay man who had been dismissed from his volunteer ministries at a Catholic parish on Long Island because he married his partner, delivered a petition with over 18,000 signatures to Bishop William Murphy of the Rockville Centre diocese, asking to be re-instated.

This week, we’ve learned that Bishop Murphy has returned the petition and signatures, with a cover letter which simply stated:  ”From your faithful Roman Catholic bishop.”  A copy of the letter can be viewed here.

GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) reported this development on their blog  this week.  They quote Coppola’s reaction to this latest development:

Bishop William Murphy

“I really don’t understand what sort of message Bishop Murphy is trying to send. Is he no longer listening to the voices of the faithful? I have more questions than anything now.”

The strangeness of the note baffles the mind.  Is the bishop being vindictive?  Pretentious? Humorous? Sarcastic?  The move is certainly unprofessional, and clearly not pastoral.  The message it sends is an authoritarian one, not one of responding to human needs or concerns.

The Washington Post notes that the diocese confirmed that the letter did indeed come from the bishop:

“Sean Dolan, a spokesperson for Murphy, on Thursday confirmed that the bishop had sent the 300 sheets of paper with the signatures back to Coppola.

“In a statement, Dolan said the petition and the way its delivery was staged for the media ‘was designed to misinform the press and the intended recipient,’ and was ‘only designed to promote the organizations behind this spectacle.’

“ ‘All legitimate correspondence sent to the Office of the Bishop either by email or regular U.S. Mail is responded to,’ Dolan said in a statement. ‘Online petitions of this nature lack legitimacy (and) are not considered correspondence and therefore do not warrant a response.’ “

On-line petitions are a new form of media and expression, but they are now ubiquitous, and certainly a legitimate form of communication.  The diocese disregards such communications at its peril, and will continue to be out of touch with the real world.

GLAAD points out an interesting church law fact about the diocese’ response:

“According to canon law, the bishops must respond to letters that have been delivered. Later the same day that Nicholas delivered the petitions, the diocese issued a media statement reaffirming Nicholas’ ouster. It is unclear if returning the petition is the official response, per canon law.”

U.S. Catholic magazine has opined on the serious pastoral error that Murphy has made:

“Whether or not Coppola should have been removed from ministry, and whether Catholics who enter into a civil union or same-sex marriage with their partner should be allowed to participate in the life of a parish, are questions that will surely get a lot of arguments on both sides. But the fact that many Catholics were upset with the way Coppola was treated isn’t something that should just be ignored–a good bishop should at least engage with his flock and, if not to debate the decisions he’s made, should at the very least be open to explaining his reasoning in a pastoral manner. If nothing else, the bishop should see it as a teachable moment rather than something to turn away from and refuse to acknowledge.”

Coppola has a second petition campaign going in which he asks New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan to have a meal with his family.  On Easter Sunday, Dolan stated on a television talk show that the church needs to do better outreach to gay and lesbian people.  You can sign the petition here.

GLAAD’s Ross Murray, director of news and faith initiatives, stressed the importance of this second petition:

“Nicholas Coppola is a faithful Catholic who loves his church, and he is now being treated like a threat by his own bishop. Now more than ever, it is vital that Cardinal Dolan break bread with Nicholas to hear how he is being treated by the church that he loves so much.”

New Ways Ministry urges you to sign this petition.

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: Bishop, Bishop William Murphy, Catholic, Catholic Church, Catholicism, Easter, Gay, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, GLAAD, lesbian, LGBT, Long Island, marriage equality, New Ways Ministry, New York, Nicholas Coppola, pastoral ministry, petition, Ross Murray, Same-sex marriage, Sean Dolan, Timothy M. Dolan

In a few weeks we will celebrate Mother's Day here in the US.  Mothers will be taken to brunch or dinner, there will be flowers and cards...and at the very least phone calls!!!

We celebrate that mother will love us no matter what!!

That is a brave statement these days in a world of dysfunctional families, discarded kids, and broken people.

Fortunate Families is an organization with an important mission... helping parents remember that they love their kids, learn to celebrate their diversity, and work towards advocacy in church and society!!

As advocates we meet folks who have had all kinds of experiences in their birth families... in their adopted families or in their families of choice!!  We know from Dr. Catlin Ryan that youth who are accepted in their sexual diversity have health advantages, and we know that those who are rejected face terrible stats of suicide attempts.
http://familyproject.sfsu.edu/

And often we meet folks our own age who need a hug from a mom...
We represent their own mothers, women who may never have been aware that they had a gay son or lesbian daughter and may or may not have been accepting.  We represent the possibility that if we can love our kids unconditionally... their mothers might have been able to as well.

We see the work we do as Fortunate Families as our ministry.  We like to think that we represent and model the unconditional love of God for his children.  And we think our work would make Mary proud of us as well!

Mothers Day- reach out to someone who needs a mother's hug.....

And if your own mother is gone, or not the candy and flowers type, you could honor her with a gift to Fortunate Families.  Your donation not only helps us keep the lights on, it keeps the hugs coming!

And the moms and dads of Fortunate Families now accept PayPal...will wonders never cease.
http://www.fortunatefamilies.com/about-us/donations/

Carla Hale

After continued rejection from high school administrators, Carla Hale is speaking directly to her increasing supporters and to those student whom she seeks to support. Bondings 2.0 previously reported on Ms. Hale’s firing after a female partner was listed in her mother’s obituary, and on the growing pressure from many quarters on Bishop Watterson High School to reinstate the 19-year veteran educator.

The teacher spoke at a press conference, responding to Principal Marian Hutson’s denial on Tuesday of Hale’s request to return to the high school, which was reported on by The Columbus Dispatch. Of the firing, she said:

“’I was informed that I was not terminated because I was gay, but … the spousal relationship that was publicized in the newspaper, which happened to be an obituary, is against church teaching,’ she said. Her attorney, Thomas Tootle, said he sees little distinction between the two.

“Hale also will file a complaint with the Columbus Community Relations Commission under a city ordinance that makes it a crime for employers to discriminate based on sexual orientation.”

Hale is appealing to the Catholic teachers’ union as well, but her message extends beyond her desire to resume teaching at Bishop Watterson. LGBTQ Nation reports:

“Hale said the negative message of her firing has been outweighed many times over by the positive outpouring that followed. She urged LGBT kids to focus instead on what has happened afterward in Columbus and around the nation.

“’I’m hoping that, possibly for the first time in many of their lives, they actually see the love and support that’s being generated,’ Hale said.

“’It’s one of those subjects that can’t ever be discussed (in Catholic schools), but I’m hoping now they can actually see what this whole situation has created, that there is a lot more support out there than they could have even imagined,’ she said.

“’Hopefully that’s what stays and that’s what endures and continues on from this whole situation.’”

A Change.org petition has garnered over 60,000 signatures, supporters have a dedicated hashtag on Twitter, #halestorm, and it is reported that the high school’s faculty are fully in support of Hale. Bondings 2.0 will continue updating on this story as Carla Hale struggles as a church worker to be treated justly by the Church.

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: #halestorm, bisexual, Bishop Watterson, Carla Hale, Catholic, Change.org, Church, Columbus, discrimination, employment rights, faith, firing, Gay, lesbian, LGBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQ Nation, queer, religion, The Columbus Dispatch, Transgender, worker rights

As legislature after legislature pass marriage equality laws, in the United States and abroad, legal recognition of same-gender couples increasingly becomes an aside in the news rather than headlines. These victories bear the fruits of decades of LGBT equality advocacy and bitter disputes about the relationship between religious doctrine and secular governance, and continually marriage equality is won in jurisdictions with large Catholic demographics. Bondings 2.0 provides a run down of this week’s news.

Rhode Island

The most densely Catholic state in America has passed marriage equality, with only procedural steps left until the bill becomes law. Rhode Island will become the 10th state in the US (plus the District of Columbia), and the final one in New England, to extend marriage rights. ABC News reports that Catholic legislators were central to the bill’s passage, admitting their personal struggles with same-gender marriage but ultimately voting in favor:

“Sen. Maryellen Goodwin, D-Providence, said she lost sleep over her vote but decided, despite opposition from the Catholic Church, to vote ‘on the side of love.’

“‘I’m a practicing Catholic. I’m proud to be a Catholic,’ she said, adding that it was the personal stories of gays, lesbians and their families in her district who convinced her. ‘I struggled with this for days, for weeks. It’s certainly not an easy vote.’”

Rhode Island had been a hold out in an otherwise LGBT-supportive region, and it is clear that the power of personal narratives from same-gender couples and their families is continuing to shape legislative struggles. Marriage licenses could be issued as early as August 1st.

France

After months of heated, and even violent, demonstrations about marriage, the National Assembly legalized recognition for same-gender couples last Tuesday and France became the 14th nation globally to have marriage equality. Opposition leaders promised a judicial appeal to the nation’s Constitutional Council, according to a report on The Atlantic  website that also credits this issue with reinvigorating a waning conservative movement in France.

Conservative Catholic lay movements backed anti-equality efforts since mid-2012, largely focused on their claims that adopted children’s health is harmed when placed with LGBT parents. The Catholic bishops’ comments seem confused, as an earlier document affirmed same-gender relationships while recent comments seem to warn about violence that will erupt if LGBT rights progress.  Think Progress reports that, even amid the wonderful news that France passed marriage laws, a troubling backlash may result:

“The advancement of same-sex marriage and adoption in France has been very contentious, with opponents promising retaliatory violence for the law’s passage. Indeed, violent hate crimes against gay French citizens have increased in recent weeks…death threats were sent to lawmakers because of their intention to support marriage equality. In the lead up to today’s vote, the hashtag #IlFautTuerLesHomosexuels, or “Homosexuals must be killed,” has been trending on Twitter.”

The French Catholic bishops should now focus on  the potential for violence in France. They need to defend each person’s life and dignity, especially those of LGBT persons.

Delaware

Delaware progressed closer to marriage equality after the state House passed a bill in a 23 to 18 vote, sending the bill to the Senate. CBS Philly reports that if the Senate passes the bill, Delaware’s governor has promised to sign it and marriage licenses could commence as early as July 1, 2013. Delaware previously allowed civil unions for same-gender couples, and these previously granted licenses would automatically be converted to marriages with the passage of the bill.

Nevada

After the emotional appeals of many, including a gay Catholic state senator reported on yesterday in Bondings 2.0, the Nevada Senate took first steps towards legalizing marriage equality by repealing legislation that defined marriage heteronormatively and replacing it with a bill to open marriage regardless of gender. USA Today reports that if the state Assembly passes it, and then both legislatures again in 2015 the final step would be a referendum in 2016.

–Bob Shine, New Ways Minisry

Tagged: bisexual, Bishops, Catholic, Catholicism, CBS Philly, Church, Delaware, faith, France, Gay, gay marriage, House, lesbian, LGBT, Marriage, marriage equality, National Assembly, Nevada, religion, Rhode Island, Same-sex marriage, Senate, The Atlantic, Transgender

During the Nevada Senate’s debate to repeal the state’s heterosexual definition of marriage, Sen. Kelvin Atkinson, a devout Catholic, came out as a gay man.

According to USA Today:

Senator Kelvin Atkinson

“In emotional comments, senators told of family members who are gay; their own conflicts between religion and social justice. For Sen. Kelvin Atkinson, D-North Las Vegas, it was a coming out of sorts when he announced to many, ‘I’m black. I’m gay.’ “

According to ThinkProgress.org:

” ‘I know this is the first time many of you have heard me say that I am a black, gay male.’ Atkinson pointed out that his father’s interracial marriage would have similarly been banned decades ago, suggesting to detractors, ‘If this hurts your marriage, then your marriage was in trouble in the first place.’ ”

The Senate voted 12-9 to repeal the heterosexual definition of marriage.

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: Atkinson, coming out, Gay, heterosexual marriage, Kelvin Atkinson, lesbian, LGBT, marriage equality, Nevada, Nevada Senate, North Las Vegas Nevada, Same-sex marriage

Erin Macke returned to her alma mater, a Chicago-area all-girls’ Catholic high school, to teach in 2009. Two years later, high school administrators chose not to re-hire Erin after it was revealed that she was a lesbian, and had counseled a struggling LGBT student. In a piece in The Huffington Post, she writes to the high school’s principal, Sr. Lois, with an appeal to welcome LGBT members into a school she greatly cares for.

Erin begins by describing her education at the high school in the early 2000s, writing:

“I left these halls with a strong sense of self, unwavering confidence, a conviction to charity, and the belief that I was accepted and valued in this community. I felt securely rooted in the teachings and values fostered within these walls. If one were to ask, I would concede that this institution has uniquely shaped the woman I am today.”

Erin expresses her concern for the high school’s lack of LGBT support, citing statistics that say 9 of 10 LGBT youth are bullied in school and they are four times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual youth. She writes:

“Yet, this institution, a school which boasts pillars of character, has made it a point to outright exclude the LGBT community on the basis that they do not fit into Catholic teachings….Ignorance and blind denial will not solve this problem. Sincere and sensitive consideration needs to be given to the issue at hand: there is not a single resource for students struggling with the ideas of sexual identity. Furthermore, empathetic and proactive adults are left as offerings on the altar of litigation and politics. What example are we setting for students when such atrocities are condoned?”

Erin then addresses her own termination in 2011 and calls the high school to embrace a more welcoming attitude:

“I find no remorse in my spirit as an offering of condolence. In my heart, my behavior was justified in that it was in the best interest of the student. Her physical and emotional well-being surpassed my need for professional safety and personal anonymity. I find the shortsightedness of this administration unconscionable and my dismissal to be a cowardly attempt to sweep a larger issue under the rug…

“Make this a community that behaves in the most Christian of manners by accepting all children of God and creating an environment safe from judgment, ridicule, and violence…It was with charity and compassion in my heart that I reached out to a student in need. If this is my penance, I righteously accept it.”

Finally, she speaks to Sr. Lois and those reading the letter about how the trials since 2011 have changed her, and the hope she finds moving forward:

“There’s no point in reliving the negativity of a select few; better to rejoice in the appreciative nature of the majority. My main takeaway revolves around the ideas of fear and vulnerability…[Fear] prevents us from telling someone how we feel, trusting the unknown, or reaching out to people in need. We are afraid that the actions we might take will cause us pain, embarrassment, or judgment, so we don’t take them. Instead, we stand very still, moving cautiously in familiar directions…Vulnerability is my greatest fear and yet in instances when I’d least like to be vulnerable, I find it to be my greatest ally. This year, I learned to trust that, in most cases, people will do the right thing.

“More importantly, had I not trusted, I would have forfeited the opportunity to allow people to do the right thing; essentially, perpetuating and justifying my fear…I am contented in knowing I chose to open the door, in the face of fear, risking vulnerability, and was met with understanding, compassion, and love from most. Although my dismissal has been hard to bear, it is my hope that, in the not too distant future, I will think of my time here with fondness, rather than resentment. As a woman of faith, I know that forgiveness is as much a gift to the innocent as it is the guilty.”

While Erin Macke is only one of many LGBT individuals fired from a Catholic institution, similar to Carla Hale or Nicholas Coppola of recent weeks, she provides a hopeful lesson for all who find themselves rejected or hurt.

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: bisexual, Catholic, education, Erin Macke, Gay, high school, hope, inspiration, lesbian, LGBT, Transgender, welcome

Story of a Listening Parent by Joan AbeleMay 15, 2009 in Mother of a Gay SonI was raised in Cleveland, Ohio and attended Catholic grade school and all-girls high school at the time there was a huge change going on in the church. My home parish was a surprisingly liberal place in the midst of a solidly middle class, factory worker neighborhood. It has been over 30 years since I lived in Ohio but I am still friends with several of the priests and nuns who were assigned there. In fact, it was from one of the priests that I heard about Fortunate Families.

After finishing my residency in Detroit, I moved to Utah in 1983. I actually had to look on a map to see where Utah was since I was not completely sure! My practice is primarily cardiac anesthesia at Intermountain Medical Center, which is a Level 1 Trauma center in Salt Lake City, and I’m president of the medical staff as well.

My husband is also an anesthesiologist at the same hospital and we have been married for 7 years. Between us, we have 10 children, although I am only biologically responsible for 3 of them! All of them are adults (at least numerically) and our house is pleasantly quiet. My oldest, Thomas, graduated from Oberlin College in 2007 and is living in Japan teaching English. My daughter, Sarah, is graduating from Lewis and Clark College on May 10th.

My youngest son, Jonathan, is an international man of mystery. He was an exchange student in Italy when he was a sophomore in high school and decided then to go to college in Europe. He came out to me when he was 15 while he was in Italy, although I was pretty sure he was gay from the time he was very young. He returned from Italy fluent in Italian, much more self assured and joined the rowing team at his high school. This is a very conservative state and I worried that I would get calls from the other parents saying they didn’t want him on a team with their sons, but absolutely nothing happened, to my great relief. He was even voted the graduation speaker for their class and did a terrific job. He is finishing his second year at Franklin College, an American university in Lugano, Switzerland, about an hour north of Milan. To make you feel even sorrier for him, they have two weeks of required academic travel each semester. It is a tough life.

I have serious reservations about the church’s “official position” on homosexuality, but since my parish is open and welcoming, I tend to compartmentalize it. At our last PFLAG meeting, our roundtable discussion was about the role of religion in our families. The group was about evenly divided between Latter Day Saint and Catholic, which is not the actual demographic here. While we didn’t get to everyone, it seemed like I was the only one in either group who still goes to church, which speaks volumes for how families are isolated from the institutional churches, in addition to our gay and lesbian family members. There is a lot of anger directed toward churches that teach loving one another with the modifier: “as long as they are just like WE are.” One of my friends who is a gay priest was just named the president of a Catholic college in the South and was very open about his sexual orientation– change happens one person at a time!

We have a terrific PFLAG chapter and that has been a source of a lot of support and friendship. Two weekends ago I chaperoned at the Queer Prom put on by the Salt Lake City Pride Center. There were over 650 kids there (you read that right) and it was loads of fun. The women I worked with wondered what it would have been like if there had been anything like it for them when they were in high school. It was wonderful to see these kids just be themselves knowing that no one would hassle them. The police officers who provided the security said it was a much easier group than most of the other proms they work for — no fights breaking out, no yelling matches. I understand the difficulties of being a parent of a gay child in a conservative community. It has been my challenge to become more open about my son and not worry that I am being judged a “bad mother”. My husband is LDS and has had his own challenges in dealing with the attitudes of his church especially with Proposition 8 support and phone banking. He has been incredibly supportive of me, and of Jonathan. I feel privileged to be allowed to engage in conversations with parents who may be struggling for a variety of reasons. It is a long process throughout all the phases of a family’s life but one that is completely worth it.


http://www.fortunatefamilies.com/about-us/donations/www.fortunatefamilies.com/?page_id=50

It’s becoming so common that it almost seems “un-newsworthy.”   Yet another church prelate has announced his support for civil unions for lesbian and gay couples.

Archbishop Piero Marini

This latest announcement is particularly important because it comes from another Vatican official, Archbishop Piero Marini, president of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses.  In February, Archbishop Vincent Paglia,  head of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Family, also announced his support for civil unions.

John Allen of The National Catholic Reporter reports that Marini revealed his support in an interview with La Nacion newspaper in Costa Rica, which just closed a Eucharistic Congress. Here’s the relevant part of the interview (translated by The National Catholic Reporter):

“Q: Costa Rica has opened a discussion about what it means to be a secular state. What do you think of these decisions?

A: This is already a reality in Europe. A secular state is fine, but if it turns into a secularist state, meaning hostile to the Catholic Church, then there’s something wrong. Church and state should not be enemies to one another. In these discussions, it’s necessary, for instance, to recognize the union of persons of the same sex, because there are many couples that suffer because their civil rights aren’t recognized. What can’t be recognized is that this [union] is equivalent to marriage.” (emphasis mine)

(John Allen’s blog post contains the entire English translation of the interview; for the original Spanish-language version of the interview, click here.)

We have in this statement, the familiar caution that civil unions should not be considered equal to marriage, which may put a damper on this development, However, I’ve argued before, viewed in context, the approval of civil unions is really a giant step forward.  No one would have guessed even a year ago that there would possibly be so much growing support for civil unions among the hierarchy.  For a list of recent statements by bishops and cardinals, click here.

Of course, the most newsworthy recent announcement of civil unions support came with the revelation that when Pope Francis was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, he supported the idea of civil unions as a compromise.  John Allen provides some interesting background to this piece of news:

“On March 19, TheNew York Times reported that when Argentina was gearing up for a bitter national debate on gay marriage in 2009 and 2010, Bergoglio quietly favored a compromise solution that would have included civil unions for same-sex couples.

“That report was denied by Miguel Woites, director of the Argentinian Catholic Information Agency, a news outlet linked to the Buenos Aires archdiocese. Woites insisted Bergoglio would ‘never’ have favored any legal recognition of same-sex unions and said the Times report was a ‘complete error.’

“In early April, however, a senior official in the Argentine bishops’ conference told NCR that Bergoglio did, in fact, favor civil unions.

“Mariano de Vedia, a veteran journalist for Argentina’s leading daily, told NCR he could confirm Bergoglio’s position had been correctly described in the Times account.

“Guillermo Villarreal, a Catholic journalist in Argentina, said it was well known at the time that Bergoglio’s moderate position was opposed by Archbishop Héctor Rubén Aguer of La Plata, the leader of the hawks. The difference was not over whether to oppose gay marriage, but how ferociously to do so and whether there was room for a compromise on civil unions.

“Villareal described the standoff over gay marriage as the only vote Bergoglio ever lost during his six years as president of the conference.”

Perhaps most interesting is Allen’s reporting of a speculation of how Pope Francis might react in the future to the idea of civil unions, now that he is in Rome:

“Speaking today on an Italian cable news network, church historian Alberto Melloni, seen as a voice of the progressive wing of Italian Catholicism, predicted that ‘sooner or later, this openness [to civil unions] will arrive in the magisterium of the pope.’ However, Melloni also said he believes Francis will move with ‘caution’ and ‘prudence.’ “

With the number of bishops speaking out for civil unions, especially those right in the Vatican, perhaps Francis won’t have to be as cautious as Melloni supposes.

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

 

Tagged: Alberto Melloni, Archbishop Hector Ruben Aguer, Archbishop Piero Marini, Archbishop Vincent Paglia, Argentina, Bergoglio, Buenos Aires, Buillermo Villarreal, Catholic, Catholic Church, Catholicism, civil unions, domestic partners, domestic partnerships, Gay, John Allen, John L. Allen, Jorge Bergoglio, La Plata, lesbian, LGBT, Mariano de Vedia, marriage equality, Miguel Woites, National Catholic Reporter, Pope Francis, Same-sex marriage

The National Catholic Reporter newspaper and website are, hands down, the most important sources of information and opinion that Catholics have to keep up with news in the church and the world today.  If you are a regular reader of Bondings 2.0, then you know that not a week goes by that we don’t link to at least one story or editorial from the NCR.

This week the NCR is hosting a webathon to raise $100,000 to keep their work alive and vibrant.   If you visit their website, you will find all sorts of items to let you know how instrumental and influential this news outlet is.   These items include:

1) video messages from NCR staff and friends

2) love letters from NCR readers from around the country and around the globe

3) a unique graphic showing what the NCR means to its readers and to our church.

The NCR definitely deserves your financial help.  Since the 1970s, the newspaper has been the leading Catholic journalistic supporter of LGBT rights.  Their news stories and opinion columns continue to help “push the envelope” for LGBT people in our church.   You can donate  right now by clicking here.

Not only do they get the news out fast and professionally, but they provide an intelligent Catholic perspective that outpaces all other news sources.  Without the NCR, our church and our world would both be in much worse condition.  Because of the NCR, I have hope that improvements in both venues are possible.

Please take a moment and donate to them today.

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: Catholic, Catholic Church, Catholicism, Church, Gay, journalism, lesbian, LGBT, National Catholic Reporter, NCR, Newspaper

Carla Hale

Bondings 2.0 reported last week on the firing of Carla Hale, a teacher for 19 years at Bishop Watterson High school, who was terminated after listing a female partner in her mother’s obituary. Now, support continues growing as pressure is placed on administrators at the high school to reinstate Hale.

A petition on change.org created by students at Bishop Watterson had generated nearly 38,000 signatures as of Sunday morning, including current students, alumni, and Hale’s daughter. Thousands on social media have posted about the incident with Carla Hale, including Michael Coleman, the mayor of Columbus, Ohio where the school i located, as reported by Queerty:

“Coleman tweeted his support for Hale, writing, ‘I stand with Carla Hale. No one in Columbus or in the United States should be denied employment because of their choice of who to love.’”

The Columbus Dispatch also reports about less positive pressures placed on Bishop Watterson:

“Hundreds of calls, some of them threatening, have been received at a Roman Catholic high school in Columbus where a gay teacher was recently fired, according to a police report filed this week.

“The report says the calls came from all over the country in the wake of media reports on a teacher’s firing from Bishop Watterson High School.”

Hale condemned any threatening phone calls, advocating greater tolerance all around and has thanked members of the Bishop Watterson community for their support. The teacher also spoke out about the ongoing struggle in an interview with a local Columbus NPR station, WOSU 89.7. She describes the meeting where the high school principal informed her of the diocese’s decision to terminate Hale’s employment:

“Hale said she was in, ‘total shock. Like your legs had just been cut out from under you.’”The letter was from the Columbus Diocese and signed by [Principal Marian] Hutson.

“’I turned to the principal and I said, “Are we talking like immediately? Am I supposed to leave the building?

“And she just, she said, “Yes.”‘”

Of the way in which diocesan officials were notified of Hale’s same-gender relationship through an anonymous letter, she said:

“…she did not discuss her sexual orientation with colleagues. She said only a few close co-workers knew. And for nearly 20 years, there was never a problem.

“Hale called the anonymous letter cowardly.

“‘To use my mom’s obituary, her death, to write this letter. And, honestly, we wouldn’t be in this situation if it wasn’t for her death, nor if my partner’s name was Chris.’”

As momentum grows behind Carla Hale, in Columbus and nationwide, she expresses one simple desire while leaving open other options to take against the diocese for wrongful termination:

“Hale spoke positively of Bishop Watterson, its staff and its students. And she has filed a grievance with the Diocese, asking to get back her job.

“’At this point in time, that’s all I’m hoping for.’

“But if Hale isn’t reinstated, she has other options. She can ask for the city to investigate whether the Diocese violated a city ordinance which protects employees from discrimination including sexual orientation.

“Napoleon Bell, who directs Columbus’ Community Relations Commission, said religious employers are not exempt from the city ordinance.”

For their part, diocesan and Bishop Watterson administrators have remained quiet about the growing pressure placed upon them to act justly towards Carla Hale. One alum of the high school finds a silver lining in this incident, in that it could generate a necessary discussion about LGBT educators who play an integral role in Catholic educational systems. Of this, Hale responds:

“…she does not think the Catholic Church is ready for the conversation [alum Michael] Liggett wants, but she said it has to start somewhere.

“’As most changes take place, it has to be the younger generation stepping up,’ Hale said. ‘And they’ve obviously shown great tolerance and love and support. And so, it’s a step.’”

In just the last month, several stories, available below, have shown the leadership that high school and college students assume for creating inclusive, LGBT-affirming Catholic institutions. New Ways Ministry encourages all to sign the change.org petition in support of Carla Hale, and is encouraged by the youth and young adult activism that is transforming the Catholic Church into a more welcoming place.

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

April 18, 2013: ”Another Canadian Catholic Teen Speaks Out for Equality“

April 11, 2013: “Gay Teenager on Catholic Policy: ‘Somebody Had to Say Something”

April 9, 2013: “CAMPUS CHRONICLES: George Washington University Students Challenge Catholic Chaplain for Anti-Gay Comments“

April 2, 2013: “CAMPUS CHRONICLES: Gay Students’ Elections Signal Shift in Catholic Colleges’ Inclusivity“

Palo Alto City Hall

The City of Palo Alto, California, a suburb of San Francisco, is facing a question that many other municipalities might soon be facing:  should it fund a Catholic organization that is part of a network that includes some organizations who have discriminated against gay and lesbian people?

The Palo Alto City Council Finance Committee has provisionally answered “yes” to that question, as they recently approved a $5,000 grant to the local Catholic Charities organization to provide ombudsman services to seniors who are in assisted-living facilities.   One of two of the city’s human rights commissioners who are against the funding spoke at the meeting.  (The five-member commission was split 3-2 in favor of funding the group.)  The decision to fund is now up to the full City Council.

This case is interesting because it reverses what we’ve come to expect as the usual process in such cases.  In the past, Catholic Charities groups have withdrawn services so as not to comply with LGBT equality protections.  In this case, a decision to de-fund would present a pre-emptive step on the part of the city.

PaloAltoOnline.com reports:

“The debate over religion and discrimination injected some controversy into what is usually a dry and straight-forward process to allocate more than $500,000 as part of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. The program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, focuses on programs that deliver housing, counseling and other social services to residents, particularly those of low and moderate income.

“As part of a staff proposal that the Finance Committee approved Tuesday night, Catholic Charities would receive $5,000, the bare minimum under the CBDG process and far less than most of the other agencies set to receive funding under the current two-year cycle. The Downtown Streets Team Inc., a nonprofit that offers jobs and training to the homeless, is set to receive $248,753, far more than any other organization, while InnVision Shelter Network, which runs the Opportunity Center, would receive $76,662.

“But the smallest grant stirred Human Relations Commissioner Claude Ezran to call for the city to stop funding Catholic Charities, citing the parent organizations’s controversial practices elsewhere in the country. He cited the decisions of the organization’s Washington, D.C., and Massachusetts chapters not to offer adoption services to same-sex couples and the 2011 lawsuit filed against Catholic Charities by the ACLU and the State of Illinois, which accused the organization of discriminating against gay couples.

“Ezran, who was one of two Human Relations Commission members to recommend cutting funding for the local chapter, said he based his recommendation of his view of the organization as one that ‘discriminates against gays, lesbians and unmarried heterosexual couples.’ “

” ‘Should you fund this local organization when it has not spoken out publicly against the discrimination policies of its parent and sibling organizations?’ Ezran asked the committee.

“He argued that the city should end its association with the nonprofit and cited Palo Alto’s recent decision to take a formal stance against Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

” ‘Hopefully, the city that proudly flies the rainbow flag would follow on this symbolic action with a substantive one — decidedly turning down a funding request from Catholic Charities,’ Ezran said.

The case is more complicated than a simple question of good guys vs. bad guys.  As the news report describes, Santa Clara County Catholic Charities has a good record concerning lesbian and gay issues:

“Councilman Greg Schmid agreed and said there is a ‘distinction between a religious organization and delivery of services in our local area.’

” ‘I think given the fact there is no evidence of discrimination in our local community, I certainly cannot discriminate against one of the organizations providing services,’ Schmid said.

“Wanda Hale, program manager of the Catholic Charity of the Santa Clara County’s ombudsman program, emphasized that her organization is committed to supporting all residents who need assistance. The organization provides ombudsman services to about 250 Palo Alto residents annually.

“Hale cited one case in which she represented a gay man with AIDS who was threatened of being evicted from his facility. In another case, Hale said, she provided training to staff members at a facility in which two lesbian residents felt they were being discriminated against.

” ‘I’ve actually gone out and advocated for gay residents who have been discriminated against in their facilities,’ Hale said.”

Staff from the Community Services Department concurred with the three HRC members who felt the organization should continue to get funding. In a report, staff cited a concern “that the manner in which the decision was made regarding Catholic Charities does not recognize the substantial merit of the program and incorrectly emphasizes the religious affiliation of the organization, which could be construed as a denial of equal access to federal funding.”

Judging the fairness of such a decision is a tough call.  While I certainly do not propose supporting an organization which has discriminatory policies, I also think it would be wrong to pre-judge such an organization based on the record of some of its sister-components.  If LGBT people’s experience teaches us anything, it is that we should judge people by their actions, not by their labels or with whom they associate.

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: Catholic, Catholic Charities, Catholicism, Claude Ezran, Community Development Block Grant, Gay, Greg Schmid, human rights commission, lesbian, LGBT, Palo Alto, Palo Alto California, San Francisco, Wanda Hale

Though debates about marriage equality here in the United States can become quite heated at times, in France the discussion of this topic has inspired warnings about violence, threats of violence, and violence itself.

The latest episode in this regard has been the Archbishop Of Paris’ warning that if marriage equality becomes law,  society may erupt with violent protests.  According to a Reuters news report:

“Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois told a meeting of French bishops the planned marriage reform, which the government has speeded up amid mounting pressure from opponents, was a sign that society had lost its capacity to integrate different views. . . .

” ‘This is the way a violent society develops,’ he told the spring meeting of the French bishops’ conference. ‘Society has lost its capacity of integration and especially its ability to blend differences in a common project.’ “

Unfortunately, the cardinal’s argument contains something of a paradox.  While he complains about marriage equality causing a loss of integration and the blending of differences, he fails to realize that by not providing marriage for gay and lesbian couples, the nation already severely hampers integration and blending of differences.

On the secular side, a leader of the anti-marriage equality movement also warned of violence this week.  LGBTQNation reports that Frigide Barjot, a French comic who is a leader in the movement against marriage equality commented on the French Senate’s passage of the bill and the decision to now move the debate to the National Assembly:

“This is a disgrace. The French people don’t want this law, and what do they do? They speed up its passage. (French President Francois) Hollande wants blood, and he will get it. We live in a dictatorship. The President of the Republic has guillotined us.”

Such rhetoric only incites the already violent motivations of some protesters.  PinkNews.co.uk reports:

“On Wednesday thousands of protesters swarmed in Paris to voice their opposition to the bill, with some attacking cars and public property, and lashing out at police and journalists, reports France24.

“11 people from the protest were detained for questioning, while 24 pro-equal marriage counter-protesters were arrested, according to police.

“During the night four men were detained after they attacked a gay bar in Lille, injuring the manager and causing property damage.“

Similarly, LGBTQNation.com reports:

“Earlier in the week, gay rights activists pointed to last weekend’s attack on a gay couple in Paris as evidence of their claim that homophobic acts have tripled nationwide over opposition to the marriage equality law.

“Wilfred De Bruijn was beaten unconscious near his home early Sunday in central Paris, sustaining five fractures in his head and face, abrasions and a lost tooth.”

Catholic leaders in France would do better to forthrightly condemn such acts of violence, instead of simply warning that violence may be an outcome.  Warning about violence seems designed to inspire fear about the marriage equality bill, which the French bishops oppose.  But warning about possible future violence is a weak response if there is no condemnation of the violence which is already occurring during this debate.  Catholic leaders should be peacemakers, not fear-mongers.

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

 

Tagged: Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, Catholic, Catholicism, France, Frigide Barjot, Gay, lesbian, LGBT, Marriage, marriage equality, Paris, President of France, Same-sex marriage, Senate, United States, Violence, Wilfred DeBruijn

Bishop Thomas Gumbleton

Responding to statements by Detroit’s Archbishop Allen Vigneron suggesting pro-marriage equality Catholics  refrain from  Communion, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton instead told Catholics last week, “Don’t stop coming to Communion.” He expanded that message of inclusivity in his weekly National Catholic Reporter column, “The Peace Pulpit,” and in an extensive interview with Democracy Now.

Writing in the National Catholic Reporter, Bishop Gumbleton reflected on last Sunday’s Gospel reading (John 21:1-19) and the implications for how we form a church after Jesus appears post-Resurrection to the disciples. He concludes that the church is a place where all, without condition or exception, are welcomed:

“As we go on in what happens on this occasion, we discover a couple of things about that mission. One is how it has to be totally inclusive. You don’t push anybody out of the community. You draw everybody in, until you have — in John’s Gospel, he often uses large numbers to make a point by exaggeration. Back when he changed water into wine, when Jesus did that, John said, ‘There were six jugs of water with thirty gallons of each,’ he’s making a point. Thirty gallons in six jugs, that’s a lot of wine, but they certainly didn’t drink it all on that occasion. John is simply making a point: there’s no limit to what God can do. So this occasion, when they’re fishing, the net is bulging with fish, bulging, but it doesn’t break. See, everybody can come in…

“It’s something we need to remember, that we’re not to push people away from the church. We’re supposed to draw them in. We want everyone to be part of this community of the disciples of Jesus.”

Bishop Gumbleton also notes the Gospel teaches us about community leadership and inclusivity:

“Again, I want to emphasize that the disciples were just learning this, how to be the community of disciples, how to be the church. There wasn’t a predetermined plan with institutional guidelines and laws developed and so on. No, none of that. They had to struggle to understand how to be the community of disciples of Jesus…

“But here, right at the beginning, it’s altogether different. It’s to be a leadership of love…

“That’s the kind of church we have to be working toward becoming part of — following that leadership of love, not a leadership of power and authority and penances and penalties and exclusions and so on, but a leadership that says love.

“Love is the only thing that really counts in this community of disciples of Jesus; love and leadership of the church throughout all the members of the church. The whole community would be a community of disciples who love one another and who proclaim that love to the world around us and who carry out the mission of Jesus by drawing all into this community of disciples.

“We establish the church by doing this promulgation of love wherever we go, not just by our words, but by our actions. When we become that kind of a church, from the Pope right through the whole community, then that’s when we’ll be a sign to the world that will draw the world to enter into the reign of God and bring fullness of God’s reign into reality — a reign of love, a reign that will be peace and justice for all.”

Bishop Gumbleton is a long-standing advocate for welcoming the LGBT community within the Catholic Church, and he spoke for nearly an hour with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now last week about many issues of justice, church reform, and his personal journey. Within that, Bishop Gumbleton noted the importance of conscience in the Church’s relationship with gay and lesbian individuals:

“No one can judge the conscience of any other person. And homosexual people have to deal with who they are, how they express intimacy and love. And I am sure, based on the teaching of the church, also that, before anything else, a person’s own individual conscience gives guidance to how that person must act, and no one can interfere with that. And that’s teaching that goes right back to the beginning of the church…That’s their conscience decision, and it’s between each person and God. And that’s church teaching. And so, how individuals deal with their homosexuality is something that we have to respect.”

In Bishop Gumbleton’s wisdom, a clear plan for clergy in reaching out to the LGBT community is available in this model of radical inclusivity. Cardinal Dolan recently remarked about the need for improved relations between the church and LGBT people. He would do well to listen his fellow bishop who preaches Christ’s radical inclusivity, the primacy of conscience, and most of all, love.

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: Amy Goodman, Archbishop Allen Vigneron, bisexual, Bishop, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Catholic, communion, conscience, Democracy Now, Detroit, Gay, Gospel of John, hope, inclusive, Jesus Christ, lesbian, LGBTQ, love, parish, pastoral, queer, Transgender, welcome

In Canada it seems that Catholic school teenagers are leading the struggle for LGBT equality in church institutions.

Last week, we reported the case of an 11th-grader in Yukon province who successfully lobbied to have a bishops’ document removed from his Catholic high school’s website because it contained pastorally harmful terms to describe lesbian and gay people.

Halla Scott

This week, we have the case of a Saskatchewan 11th-grader who is trying to form a gay-straight alliance in her Catholic high school, but meeting with roadblocks from the administration.  Halla Scott, a student at LeBoldus High School, Regina, said that when she proposed the idea, she met with resistance.  The CBC.ca reports:

“She said a guidance counsellor suggested her idea might go against Catholic values.

” ‘It’s funny … the main Catholic value is to treat your neighbour as you want to be treated,’ she said. ‘If that’s true, wouldn’t you want to treat your LBGTQ [lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, queer] neighbour the same way as you’d like to be treated?’ “

“She said if the group got the green light to proceed, students would support it.

” ‘It would provide support to LGBTQ students in the school and also, you know, help squash some stereotypes that some people hold about students that identify that way,’ she said.”

If Scott succeeds, it will be the first gay-straight alliance in a Saskatchewan Catholic school.

One lesson to be learned from these stories is that the next generation of Catholics seem willing to continue to the struggle for LGBT equality in church institutions.  They have a lot more support in that struggle than previous generations have had, and may meet with much greater success.  The future looks bright.

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: Canada, Catholic, Catholic Church, Catholic school, Catholicism, Gay, Gay-straight alliance, Halla Scott, LeBoldus High School, lesbian, LGBT, Regina, Saskatchewan, student, Yukon

we shared our love for our kids, and wishes for their future.

A mom of a lesbian daughter said at first she mourned the loss of the possibility of a wedding and children for her daughter...who later married on the beach to a woman with children!

as she told us...she grieved, and God said "just watch me"!

Representative Xavier Becerra

U.S. Representative Xavier Becerra (D-California) was one of 67 congresspeople who in 1996 voted against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which is now being challenged in the Supreme Court.  He, along with 212 other lawmakers, signed an amicus brief asking the Court to overturn DOMA, according to Politic365.com.

At a rally at the Supreme Court on the day oral arguments were heard in the case, Becerra told the amassed demonstrators:

“It is time for us to have equality. I say this as a proud Latino and Catholic. It is proud to have equality for all and we will have it because time marches forward and so does justice.”

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

 

Tagged: Amicus curiae, California, Catholic, Catholicism, Defense of Marriage Act, DOMA, Gay, Latino, lesbian, LGBT, Oral argument in the United States, Supreme Court, Supreme Court of the United States, Xavier Becerra

Carla Hale

Carla Hale, a teacher at Bishop Watterson High School in Columbus, Ohio, has been fired because she listed her lesbian partner’s name in her mother’s obituary, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

But the firing has not sat well with students at the school.  They have organized a change.org petition to have Hale reinstated to her post as a physical education teacher.  The petition states, in part:

Bishop Watterson High School

“Carla Hale, a beloved teacher at Bishop Watterson High School, was fired because of her sexuality. She was a teacher who cared for her students and treated each one with respect. The school, however, did not reciprocate that respect in its treatment of her. Discrimination and injustice is something that we all have a duty to fight in today’s society. It’s unfair that someone who cared so much about her students and her job should lose them on the basis of something she cannot even control. The school claims its mission is to teach its students about love, acceptance, and tolerance, and yet it did none of this in the way it treated Ms. Hale.”

According to the Dispatch story, Hale, who has worked at the school for 19 years, was fired after a parent complained about the obituary to the Diocese of Columbus.

According to LGBTQNation.com, the petition was started by Jackson Garrity, a senior at Bishop Watterson, who explained the motivation for the response:

“My classmates and I feel very passionately about this issue. We (the senior class) agreed that we needed to take a stand as leaders and voice our opinions.”

This is the second time this year that a Catholic school in Ohio has fired someone over LGBT issues.  The other case was Cincinnati Assistant Principal Mike Moroski, who was fired because of stating his support for marriage equality on his personal blog.

And the firings are part of a national trend of church leaders dismissing both paid employees and volunteers who are LGBT people, or lesbian/gay people who have become civilly married, or people who have stated their support of marriage publicly (see list of related blog posts below my signature).The most recent case before Hale’s was Nicholas Coppola in Long Island, New York, who was dismissed from several parish ministries because it became known that he married his partner.

If church leaders continue with this trend, they will soon find that they have no one left working in their institutions.

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

January 9, 2013: Transgender Teacher Sues Catholic School Over Firing

September 25, 2012: Fired New Zealand Teacher’s Final and Most Powerful Lesson

August 22, 2012: Catholic John Doe Fears for His Church Job Because of Marriage Equality Contribution

June 28, 2012: Fired Minnesota Catholic School Teacher Calls for Dialogue on Marriage Equality

May 5, 2012:  Excluding Lesbian and Gay Church Workers from Employment

March 1, 2012: Is It Possible to Find Hope in This Week’s Painful News?

February 12, 2012:  Church Music Director Fired For Marrying His Partner of 23 Years

Tagged: Bishop Watterson High School, Carla Hale, Catholic, Catholic school, Catholicism, Columbus, Columbus Dispatch, Gay, Jackson Garrity, lesbian, LGBT, Long Island, Mike Moroski, Nicholas Coppola, Ohio

As marriage equality legislation increases in the United States, there is also progress being made in several nations around the world, including notably Catholic ones. Bondings 2.0 provides brief updates on five nations that are moving towards greater LGBT rights, and we encourage readers to use the provided links for more information.

Uruguay

In this predominantly Catholic nation, 71 of 92 deputies in Congress voted for marriage equality sending the legislation to the pro-LGBT president, Jose Mujica, for his signature within weeks. BBC News reports that Uruguay becomes the second Latin American country to pass full marriage equality, after Argentina. In both cases institutional Catholic opposition was strong. Bondings 2.0 reported on the Uruguayan Senate’s passage of a similar bill last week. The legislation also allows for positive changes in same-gender adoption regulations.

Italy

A leading judiciary figure in Italy has called for equality in one of the final European nations without legal recognition for same-gender relationships, and one of the most Catholic. The Sacramento Bee reports on both the Italian judge’s statements and the Vatican’s stance on Italian law:

“President Franco Gallo said the Italian Constitutional Court has ‘ruled out the constitutional illegitimacy’ of laws limiting marriage to heterosexual couples.

“‘At the same time, the Court has stated that two people of the same sex still have the fundamental right to obtain legal recognition of their stable union, with attached rights and obligations,’ he said…

“In February, the Vatican’s top official on family matters, Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia, said: ‘gay marriage is one thing, and our position on that is well known, while discrimination is another matter.’

“‘Individual rights must be guaranteed’ through ‘private law,’ including for same-sex couples, Paglia said, referring to ‘patrimonial’ aspects. He stated that it was ‘time for lawmakers to worry’ about the issue.”

France

The French Senate passed legislation allowing same-gender marriages and extending adoption rights to lebian and gay couples. The National Assembly passed similar legislation in February. The debate over marriage equality in France inspired massive demonstrations and heated exchanges in the past year, reported here and here on Bondings 2.0. France is a historically Catholic nation, and it has been Catholic lay movements and French bishops leading opposition to LGBT rights. Bloomberg BusinessWeek provides further details, as France is now just months away from full marriage and adoption rights being passed.

Ireland

Members of a Constitutional Convention voted on April 14 in favor of a national referendum on equal marriage rights, with 78% seeking an amendment with language directly enacting same-gender marriage and another 17% for language that allows the government to do so. The Irish Times reports on the way forward as government officials take up the Convention’s recommendations:

“The Government was committed to holding a discussion on the report of the Constitutional Convention, [Minister for Justice Alan Shatter] said. ‘The issue of a constitutional referendum will thereafter be considered by Cabinet,’ he said. It was for the Cabinet to decide on the holding and the timing of the referendum, he added…

“The members of the Convention also voted yesterday in favour of recommending that the State pass laws ‘incorporating changed arrangements in regard to the parentage, guardianship and the upbringing of children’.

“’I think there would be a great deal of wisdom in that legislation being progressed and published before we go to a constitutional referendum,’ Mr Shatter told RTÉ today. The issue was omitted from the 2010 Act legalising civil partnership for same-sex couples, he said. Mr Shatter is due to publish details of a Family Relationships and Children’s Bill to address such issues in the coming months.”

Ireland is considered one the world’s most Catholic nations, and the bishops there have already threatened to cease issuing marriage licenses if marriage equality becomes legal. The next steps will be for the Irish government to take up the Convention’s recommendations and enact legislation, either for constitutional changes or changes in the law under existing constitutional strictures.

New Zealand

Legislators will expand same-gender rights in New Zealand, where civil unions currently exist, as a full equal marriage bill receives a final vote tomorrow. On Top Magazine reports:

“Big crowds are expected to be on hand to witness Labour MP Louisa Wall’s marriage equality member’s bill receive its third reading in Parliament.

“The measure received overwhelming approval at its committee stages last month. Wednesday’s final vote is considered a formality. Bills are rarely rejected at this stage…

“If the bill is approved, it is expected to take effect in August.”

As always, Bondings 2.0 will update our readers as progress for full LGBT rights proceeds in these nations and others. If you have not done so, use the ‘Follow’ box in the upper right hand corner of this page to receive daily email updates.

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: Alan Shatter, Archbishop Vincent Paglia, Argentina, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Catholic, Catholic Church, France, Ireland, Italy, marriage equality, New Zealand, Sacramento Bee, Same-sex marriage, United States, Uruguay

Here are some links to articles you may find of interest:

1) A federal court has supported a pregnant lesbian woman’s right to a trial after she was fired from her jobs at two Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati when it became known that she became pregnant by artificial insemination, reports the LGBT Bar Association of  Greater New York.

2) Scranton, Pennsylvania’s Bishop Joseph Bambera has criticized U.S. Senator Bob Casey, a member of his diocese, for reversing his position to support marriage equality and calling for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The York Daily Record reports that Casey “had decided over time that the Defense of Marriage Act – the federal law that defines marriage as one man and one woman – should be repealed, and determined that such a belief could not be separate from the overall question of gay marriage.”

3) Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George joined with African-American church leaders in his city to speak out against the “redefinition of marriage,” reports The Chicago Tribune.

4) Fr. Jose Nicholas Alessio, a priest of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, Argentina (Pope Francis’ former diocese) has been expelled from the priesthood for his continued support of marriage equality.  PinkNews.com reports that Fr. Alessio had been suspended in 2010, and had been offered an opportunity to retract his support, but he refused to do so.

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

 

Tagged: Bishop Joseph Bambera, Cardinal Bergoglio, Cardinal Francis George, Catholic, Catholicism, Chicago, Chicago Tribune, Defense of Marriage Act, Francis George, Gay, Jose Nicholas Alessio, lesbian, Marriage, Pope Francis, Senator Bob Casey, Supreme Court of the United States, United States, York Daily Record

Pope Francis has re-affirmed the Vatican’s censure against the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), which had been investigated by the Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith under the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI.

The Australian newspaper reports:

“Pope Francis has backed a doctrinal report drawn up under his predecessor Benedict XVI that accuses the largest group of nuns in the United States of holding “radical feminist” views, the Vatican says.

“The new Pope has ‘reaffirmed the findings of the assessment and the program of reform’ for the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), which represents around 45,000 US nuns and is known for its social work, the Vatican said.

“The statement said the head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Ludwig Mueller, met with representatives of the LCWR in the Vatican on Monday in an attempt to smooth over differences.”

The National Catholic Reporter has a full story which gives the background of the case and more details about this latest development.

As we reported last year, the investigation focused on three topics:  support for women’s ordination, support for LGBT issues, and questioning whether salvation exists outside the church.   As far as LGBT issues goes, support for New Ways Ministry was specifically identified as a problem in the “Notification” document that was issued last April.

LCWR today issued the following statement in response to this news:

“On April 15, 2013 Sister Florence Deacon, OSF, LCWR president; Sister Carol Zinn, SSJ, LCWR president-elect; and Sister Janet Mock, CSJ, LCWR executive director; met with Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF); Archbishop Luis Ladaria, secretary of CDF; and other members of the CDF dicastery. Archbishop J. Peter Sartain was also present.

“The LCWR officers reviewed the activities of this past year since receiving the report of CDF’s doctrinal assessment of LCWR in April 2012.

“In his opening remarks, Archbishop Müller informed the group the he had met with Pope Francis who ‘reaffirmed the findings of the assessment and the program of reform for this Conference of Major Superiors.’ “

“The conversation was open and frank. We pray that these conversations may bear fruit for the good of the Church.”

Archbishop Peter Sartain of Seattle had been appointed by the Vatican to oversee LCWR’s activities, but because of negotiations during the past year, no such oversight had begun.

New Ways Ministry asks you to join us in prayer for women religious in the United States and for the LCWR which is the national association for the leaders of women’s communities. We pray in gratitude for their service and witness, and we pray that they will be allowed to continue their ministry unimpeded.

A list of Bondings 2.0 blog posts about the history of the LCWR case can be found by clicking here.

–Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry

Tagged: Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller, Archbishop Luis Ladaria, Catholic, Catholicism, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Gay, J. Peter Sartain, LCWR, Leadership Conference of Women Religious, lesbian, LGBT, Pope Benedict XVI, Seattle, Sister Carol Zinn, Sister Florence Deacon, Sister Janet Mock, United States, Vatican