After Synod on the Family, Catholic Church Faced with Choice on LGBT Issues

Rev. James Martin, SJ

The Synod on the Family is over and Catholics await the possibility that Pope Francis will write an apostolic exhortation on family life derived from the bishops’ deliberations. Many are curious whether the pope’s document will mirror the Final Report or deviate away towards a much hoped for, more merciful approach. Below are more reactions to the synod, and you can find Bondings 2.0‘s full coverage of the Synod on the Family here.

At the moment, the church finds itself with a pastoral choice according to Jesuit Fr. James Martin. In an essay in Time magazine, he wrote about the church’s current “inclusion problem.”

The choice, in an overly simplified form, Martin wrote, is between a “John the Baptist method” which “asks for conversion as a prerequisite for joining the community” and the “Jesus method” where it is “community first, conversion second” as the story of Zacchaeus displays. The former seeks purification, the latter stress mercy. These are “helpful templates” for the church today, said Martin, who observed:

“As I see it, the movement for Jesus was always from the outside-in. He went out to those who were officially excluded or who felt excluded—in his time, that meant primarily the sick and the sinful—and brought them in. He restored them to the community. This is something the church may need to do more of: welcome, meet people where they are, and listen. Certainly conversion is in order for everyone—including me. But how can we change hearts if we don’t welcome them first?”

The National Catholic Reporter‘s editorial on the Synod highlighted how some voices were absent, including those of LGBT people. This choice to not meet people where they are and listen to stories left the deliberations seriously deficient, said the editors. Commenting on Pope Francis’ desire for the church to journey together, they wrote:

“It is essential to note here that the sense of ‘together’ is yet missing a significant component. . .[W]hile there may have been a more respectful tone when speaking about the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, there was no attempt to actually consult members of that portion of the Catholic community.”

The editorial ended by noting the “kind of change possible” in the church after this Synod, saying the final report posits “a radically decentralized understanding of church authority” and “equally momentous change” in bishops’ self-perception.

Massimo Faggioli

If and how change emerges from the synod will depend, in part, on how the meeting is received by the people of God, according to one expert. Theologian Massimo Faggioli took up the question of reception, now applicable to synodal processes, in Commonweal where he wrote:

“The reception of councils and church teachings involves the laity and the sensus fidelium: without the laity there is no reception in the synodal Church. But it will be most interesting to see how the reception of this Synod and of Francis’s post-synodal exhortation and decisions will be the fruit of the work of the bishops.”

If legal scholar Douglas Kmiec’s reading of the Synod is any indication, reform-minded Catholics may not gladly receive the Synod’s report or Pope Francis’ possible upcoming apostolic exhortation. He wrote at the National Catholic Reporter:

“The synod’s brief discourse of same-sex marriage is equally hurtful [as its treatment of divorced and remarried Catholics]. It is a cruel hoax to say that the church is welcoming of those of same-sex orientation and yet in the same breath not give any acknowledgment of the poignancy of that human relationship.  Is it not an extraordinary act of love for one human being to say to another: ‘I want to walk with you, to be your support, to care for you in illness and to share in your joys?’ That statement is no less extraordinary when it is made between two of the same gender. When the church declares itself closed and disapproving of such relationship, it separates itself from the welcoming nature of Christ, and instead, sets itself up as judge with a standard that is disregarding of the Thomistic advice not to make the perfect the enemy of the good.”

In Kmiec’s estimation, at this point, Pope Francis and the Synod Fathers have answered the question, “Who am I to judge?” with “We will.”

Robert Mickens

In terms of how the synod will affect the bishops, Robert Mickens of the National Catholic Reporter suggested the Synod’s real outcome was the outing of bishops’ real views before Pope Francis. Such acts clarify what reform in the church will really mean going forward. Mickens explained:

“In other words, the pope has gotten to know the bishops much better and is now in a stronger position to distinguish those who are on board with his vision of renewing and reforming the church from those who are not.

“But if the more than 250 bishops (there were also non-bishop synod fathers) who were at this latest synod assembly are truly representative of the worldwide episcopate, Francis may have a difficult road ahead.”

Worth noting is Pope Francis’ continuing transformation of the episcopate with more pastorally-focused and merciful prelates replacing conservative predecessors. John Allen of Crux notes two such appointments coming just days after the Synod’s conclusion.

In Bologna, Italy, he replaced a hard-line conservative with “Matteo Maria Zuppi, well-known in the city of Rome as a fixture in the center-leftCommunity of Sant’Egidio, known for its work in ecumenism, interfaith dialogue, and conflict resolution.”  In Palermo, Francis “tapped 53-year-old Corrado Lorefice, another figure well known in Italian ecclesiastical circles for his anti-Mafia activism, his efforts on behalf of the victims of prostitution and human trafficking, and his writings on the Church’s “option for the poor.”

These replacements, as has been noted from early on in his papacy, may be Francis’ lasting impact on the church and may clear a path for more inclusive LGBT pastoral care.

Sidney Callahan

Sidney Callahan wrote in America about what the Synod means not for the institutional church, but for families and added a historical reminder helpful for Catholic families hurt by or divided over current church teachings:

“The Christian family is proclaimed in Catholic teaching as ‘the domestic church.’ How fitting then that after the recent synod Catholic families can be more closely modeled on Vatican II’s more open vision of the church. Families too can be inspired to be more accepting, inclusive, just and personally responsive to individual conscience. . .

“Unfortunately in the course of human history, Christian values were often distorted, co-opted and overthrown by powerful regimes. . .In many of these struggles those on the side of core Christian values might have to oppose established powers, including the church.”

The Synod’s failure to invite women to participate fully generated much criticism.  Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese’s question about why a lay brother was allowed to vote, but no woman religious (who would be canonically equal to a lay brother), written about in America, is one example. As Episcopalian Bishop Gene Robinson has suggested on several occasions, the Catholic Church will not evolve on LGBT equality without also evolving on equality for women.

Questions of gender justice in the church are certainly worth consideration by LGBT advocates. One adviser, Sr. Carmen Sammut, who heads the International Union of Superiors General, raised an interesting point about the bishops’ deliberations compared with the institutional discernment processes common to women religious’ communities. She told the National Catholic Reporter:

” ‘For me, the weakness for this method was that there was no real time allowed for a real discernment process. . .When you have such very big differences, how do you bring all that together?’ “

She added there was “no ideal family out there,” asking a question pertinent to all Catholics as we come to understand, affirm, and support families in their diversity:

” ‘How do you become free enough to go beyond fear?’ “

So what is next for LGBT Catholics? Will the church, its leaders and its families alike, be able to move beyond fear into the freedom of the Gospel where all people are welcomed, nourished, and celebrated?

GLAAD hosted a Google Hangout recently to discuss the topic of the future of the Catholic LGBT movement in the wake of the synod, welcoming Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry, Marianne Duddy-Burke of DignityUSA, and Ross Murray and Janet Quezada of GLAAD to the conversation. You can watch the discussion below or by clicking here.

What do you think? Is the choice for the church between the “John the Baptist method” and the “Jesus method”? Will Catholics receive the Synod’s report? Are bishops changing their tone? What is next for LGBT Catholics and their families? Let us know in the ‘Comments’ section below.

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

At Philly’s World Meeting of Families: Not Much Time Given to Homosexuality, But LGBT Catholics Keep Conversation Going

Ron Belgau and his mother, Beverly Belgau, at the World Meeting of Families.

The World Meeting of Families’ (WMF) only session on homosexuality was held Thursday afternoon, drawing more than 750 people to the talk featuring a Catholic celibate gay man, Ron Belgau, and his mother, Beverley.

Their aim, according to an interview in Slate, was to “help Catholic families to be better at loving LGBT people.” In the session, the Belgaus shared their personal stories, this being the first time since WMF began two decades ago that an openly gay person has spoken. Beverley Belgau called Ron’s coming out “the worst day of my life.” They also reiterated current teachings on homosexuality which mandates celibacy, though they admitted church leaders’ response to LGB Catholics could be improved.

The Belgaus’ session was standing room only, due in part to a last minute room change that left hundreds of would-be attendees standing outside, reported Religion News Service. World Meeting of Families officials did not comment on why a session concerning homosexuality was shifted from a plenary hall capable of holding 10,000 to a much smaller room with the capacity for only 1,000. Call To Action’s Ryan Hoffman commented:

” ‘We are just trying to understand and give [World Meeting of Families officials] the benefit of the doubt. . .This just speaks to the fact that people want to talk about LGBT Catholics and their relationship with the Catholic Church.”

Following the lecture, a question and answer period lasted two hours, at which point those still present were asked to leave the room, reported the Philadelphia Inquirer. Some questions were concrete, like whether a Catholic could attend a family member’s same-sex marriage to which Beverley Belgau suggested that whatever the questioner decides to “do it with love.” Others challenged Ron Belgau’s underlying assertions, like Fortunate Families board member Ed Buechel’s criticism of mandatory celibacy:

” ‘That’s fine for somebody who has been given the gift from God of chastity and celibacy. . .I’m the father of a gay son. . .He’s 34 years old. He loves his church and he loves his God. But because of the conflict between the teachings of the church and his wanting to stay a good Catholic, he had a nervous breakdown 12 years ago.’ “

Titled “Always Consider the Person: Homosexuality in the Family,” critics claim it failed to consider the person and focused primarily on enforcing rigid understandings of sexuality. Marianne Duddy-Burke of DignityUSA wrote on Facebook:

“[T]he problems started for me when they spoke of Ron as having ‘same-sex attraction.’ This immediately takes it/us to a place of disorder, illness, defect. That leads to dehumanization, a sense of moral inferiority, and assumption of sinfulness. From there we get to discrimination, exclusion and violence. That whole chain was never addressed. There was no sense of identity as intrinsic to personhood, or of our sexual orientation as blessed gift. The view of ‘Church’ presented was also disempowered and hierarchical.”

delfín bautista, another Equally Blessed pilgrim, said in the session that LGBT Catholics are not struggling with who they are, but “with the rejection and marginalization that exists within society and also within the church.”

The lack of LGBT Catholic perspectives, except for Ron Belgau’s celibate life, was striking. Ronnie Polaneczky, columnist for the Daily News, called it a “wasted opportunity,” writing further:

“Really? This is the best that the church has for LGBT Catholics – the expectation that they be celibate? At this extraordinary meeting of Catholics from around the globe, why is this celibate gay man the only representation of the church’s LGBT members?”

Equally Blessed pilgrims and others debrief about the World Meeting of Families on Friday afternoon.

LGBT Catholics Respond

The opportunity was not entirely wasted because LGBT Catholics and their families associated with the Equally Blessed pilgrimage kept the conversation going during a Thursday evening panel.

Featuring Claire Dente, John Freml of Equally Blessed, and Marianne Duddy-Burke of DignityUSA, the conversation became an honest and at times heated dialogue on not only Ron Belgau’s talk but broader questions in the Catholic LGBT movement.

One theme panelists picked up on was the need to positively appraise and present diverse sexual and gender identities.

Freml said homosexuality is “not a disorder, a curse, a birth defect. It’s a gift. It’s cause to celebrate.” Duddy-Burke spoke about coming out as a Resurrection experience, adding LGBT folks need to be more outspoken in celebrating their fabulousness. Dente pointed out that though God’s voice is speaking through same-gender relationships, when LGBT people are excluded from the table that part of God’s voice is stifled.

Those in attendance added to the conversation for more than an hour, respectfully, though honestly, dialoguing about sensitive topics. These included the need to diversify the LGBT movement, incorporating global perspectives as well as centering communities of color in the U.S.  Greater solidarity by LGBT communities with those movements for racial, economic, or migration justice was requested by several attendees.

Others highlighted the pain Catholics feel when their priests and religious remain silent in the face of injustice. Sr. Jeannine Gramick, co-founder of New Ways Ministry, spoke movingly about the fear that keeps many from taking prophetic action and emphasized the need to educate church leaders.

Having attended this response period, I witnessed in the church hall an embodiment of precisely the loving dialogue called for repeatedly by Pope Francis during his U.S. visit.  As they have for a long time, LGBT Catholics and their families are fostering encounters in the church–a very hope-filled witness. I was also aware of the deep pain all too present for LGBT Catholics and their family members–a pain church leaders are not only inattentive to, but too often inflict. It cannot be forgotten even for those of us who find hope in what has happened this week.

Mustard Seeds Planted

The Eighth World Meeting of Families with all its LGBT-related controversies and failure to welcome all families has concluded at last. Equally Blessed pilgrims generally reported respect from WMF participants in the many one-on-one conversations held, but there were also moments of hostility. Fortunate Families board member Tony Garascia told NBC 10 that some at the WMF asked why Catholic parents of LGBT children even bothered attending and claimed gay children were perverted.

Still, from my perspective, we must focus on the seeds of love and faith planted all over the Philadelphia by Equally Blessed’s pilgrims. Their deep sharing in conversation, challenging questions, and rainbow witness are the mustard seeds by which God’s inclusive grace will expand narrow-minded areas of our church increasingly into a Catholic Church that is, to quote Pope Francis, “home for all.”

To read Bondings 2.0‘s full coverage of and from the World Meeting of Families, click the appropriate category to the right or you can find it here. 

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

Pope Francis Opens His U.S. Visit With Message of Mercy and Encounter

With Pope Francis now in the United States, keeping up with news can be a challenge. Below, Bondings 2.0 provides a “Papal Digest” of sorts on Catholic LGBT-related events and analyses, along with notes on the World Meeting of Families (WMF) in Philadelphia. You can read more on a particular story by clicking the provided links.

From Washington, DC 

Francis DeBernardo and Sister Jeannine Gramick at the White House’s welcome event for Pope Francis.

LGBT Catholics and allies joined President Barack Obama in welcoming Pope Francis to the White House yesterday.  Among those attending the welcome event were New Ways Ministry’s Sister Jeannine Gramick and  Francis DeBernardo.  On Tuesday, Bondings 2.0 listed other prominent LGBT supporters–Catholic and otherwise–who attended the event.  In addition to those on yesterday’s list were former directors of NETWORK: Sister Carol Coston, OP, and Sister Nancy Sylvester, IHM. Other Dignity/Washington members also attended:  Lauren Carpenter, Robert Miailovich, and Ray Panas.

The presence of LGBT supporters drew criticism from Catholic conservatives in the U.S., though the Vatican denied being upset or even reviewing the guest list. Mateo Williamson, a trans Catholic, drew particularly brutal attacks, but Nathan Schneiders rightly writes at America: “So what if Pope Francis meets a transgender Catholic at the White House?”

Buzzfeed’s news report of the White House event included links to the transcripts of President Obama’s and Pope Francis’ speeches on Wednesday morning.

Many others are commenting about Pope Francis’ message and the broader speculations on what his U.S. visit will mean. James Carroll wrote for The New Yorker:

“. . . [A]s Francis demonstrated earlier this month. . .his starting point is affirmation, not condemnation. A large-hearted feel for moral complexity trumps the narrow-minded moral rigidity that has mostly been the mark of Church responses.”

In his commentary for America, Gerard O’Connell makes a similar point about mercy overcoming legalism:

“. . . [S]ince every papal visit is first and foremost a visit to the local church, one can expect him to challenge the American church to be more missionary, to be a church that includes, not excludes people, to be a church that puts the poor at the center of its attention and knows how to show mercy, to be a church in which faith trumps ideology.”

Pope Francis greeting crowds in Washington, D.c.

So far, during his time in Washington, D.C., Pope Francis has spoken of many timely issues.  At the White House, he called for defense of religious freedom, a cause dear to the heart of the U.S. bishops.  He used the phrase “unjust discrimination,” which The Wall Street Journal described as “a veiled reference to the fact that the church regards sexuality as legitimate grounds for discrimination.”  The WSJ’s report also noted, though, that at the next stop on the pope’s Wednesday itinerary was a prayer service for U.S. bishops at St. Matthew’s Cathedral, where he warned them to avoid the

“temptation to give in to fear, to lick one’s wounds, to think back on bygone times and to devise harsh responses to fierce opposition. . . .

“Harsh and divisive language does not befit the tongue of a pastor, it has no place in his heart.Although it may momentarily seem to win the day, only the enduring allure of goodness and love remains truly convincing.”

The National Catholic Reporter noted that Francis encouraged the bishops to promote “encounter” with those with whom they disagree:

“. . . [W]e are promoters of the culture of encounter. We are living sacraments of the embrace between God’s riches and our poverty. We are witnesses of the abasement and the condescension of God who anticipates in love our every response.

“Dialogue is our method, not as a shrewd strategy but out of fidelity to the One who never wearies of visiting the marketplace, even at the eleventh hour, to propose his offer of love.”

While he briefly mentioned family issues,  his most prominent statements on family will likely come in Philadelphia this weekend.

From Philadelphia

The family of Rosa Manriquez was featured in a Los Angeles Daily News report on LGBT families’ hopes for the papal visit. Rosa is one of  Equally Blessed’s pilgrims who is attending the World Meeting of Families (WMF) this week to witness to the holiness of LGBT families.

One of Manriquez’s daughters, Cecilia Arvizu, recalled one priest’s rejection when he found out Arvizu was partnered to a woman. They have since found welcome at another Catholic parish, but Manriquez’s other daughter, Rocio Contreras, who is also a lesbian Catholic, reiterates just how much work remains:

“As gay Catholics. . .They know we’re part of the church, but they don’t want to recognize us. Now, it’s clear that we are people. We are part of the church. We have families. We’re not intrinsically evil. We’re just like everyone else.”

That message of humanizing LGBT people is central to why Manriquez is attending the WMF:

“I have two daughters who are lesbian and I have two daughters-in-law and three grandchildren who are their children. . .I want to be able to show that their families are just as blessed as any other family in the Roman Catholic Church.”

In the same article,  Jesuit Fr. Allan Figueroa Deck of Loyola Marymount University commented on the pope’s “rather dramatic way” of shifting how ministers respond to lesbian and gay people:

“It really is reminding us or encouraging us to take on the attitude that we think Jesus Christ would have, an attitude that reflects the Gospel that we teach. . .We don’t start condemning. We don’t start judging. We start respecting and loving because in the Gospel, we are called to love all people.”

Other Equally Blessed pilgrims,, as well as fired lesbian educator Margie Winters and her wife, spoke at a press conference on Tuesday, sharing their stories, reported GLAAD. Winters stated:

“My firing, and too many others like it, has touched at the core of who we are as Church. Some bishops question the Catholic identity of institutions who have LGBT members serving them. We ask the Church to reflect on its own identity: an identity now associated with the discriminatory treatment of the LGBT community.”

Let us hope he speaks about inclusion and mercy, themes which have won him the warmth of crowds worldwide, rather than the condemn story and restrictive message of the U.S bishops.

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

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For Labor Day, Some Difficult Questions for the U.S. Bishops on Church Worker Justice

The U.S. bishops conference, in keeping with the global church’s conversations on family life, used their 2015 Labor Day Statement to reflect about how greater justice for workers encourages stronger families.

It names contemporary economic realities, like stagnating wages and wealth inequality that harm families. The statement asks good questions about these signs of our times.

The statement, authored by Miami’s Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who constructed it in conversation with Pope Francis’ latest encyclical Laudato Si, affirms core principles about the church’s social doctrine: that labor should help workers and their families flourish; that a living wage and dignified conditions are human rights; that unions and associations are good; that the church is called to be in solidarity with workers.

These are all to be affirmed readily, but why are they not principles guiding the church’s treatment of its own employees? I offer here my own questions from the perspective of an LGBT advocate concerned for church workers’ rights and dignity.

Archbishop Wenski writes, “Labor should allow the worker to develop and flourish as a person. Work also must provide the means for families to prosper.”

Can LGBT church workers honestly develop and flourish as people when they are forced to remain closeted for fear of being fired? Similarly, do families prosper when teachers and ministers with LGBT children cannot openly celebrate their child’s coming out or marriage? Where is the justice when a pregnant church worker is fired and left without healthcare for herself or her child?

Archbishop Wenski writes, “Reminding us that ‘called into being by one Father, all of us are linked by unseen bonds and together form a kind of universal family, a sublime communion which fills us with a sacred, affectionate and humble respect,” [Pope Francis] calls for a ‘sense of fraternity [that] excludes nothing and no one’ ([Laudato Si] nos. 89-92).”

What happens to our universal family when a transgender church worker’s decision to live more authentically leads to expulsion? Where is an “affectionate and humble respect” for church workers’ dignity when they must choose between signing a contract that violates their conscience or ending their career? How does opposing LGBT non-discrimination protections help build up a community that “excludes nothing and no one”?

Archbishop Wenski writes, “Let us examine our choices, and demand for ourselves and one another spirits of gratitude, authentic relationship and true concern. . .The changes we make to how we live and interact with each other can help change the world.”

How do church leaders’ decision  to expel LGBT and Ally people from Catholic communities exhibit “authentic relationship and true concern”? Is not Cardinal Sean O’Malley’s remark that these firings “need to be rectified” exactly what really needs to be done? Shouldn’t U.S. bishops follow their German counterparts’ lead in expanding church employment policies now that civil marriage equality is the law?

To conclude, I quote Archbishop Wenski one final time: “These are difficult questions to ask, yet we must ask them.”

It is a painful reality for Catholics that our leaders–bishops, pastors, religious and lay administrators–have caused so much pain in the lives of LGBT church workers and their families. This reality undercuts the USCCB’s statement because they have failed to include all families in their pastoral concerns and have actively endorsed labor-negative acts by Catholic institutions.

A new way forward is, however, quite possible. When Catholic communities ask difficult questions of themselves about LGBT issues, the outcome is frequently quite positive. Whether it is a Catholic high school’s decision to protect LGBT employees after expelling a lesbian counselor or the forceful responses of communities from which church workers have been unjustly fired, solidarity grows and faith is strengthened.

In the current economic climate, the U.S. church needs to regain its prophetic mantle alongside labor and challenge structural sins that oppress workers and deeply wound families. This can only happen, however, once the U.S. bishops finally welcome all families as equal, and accompany every worker, respecting that person’s authentic identity. Until then, sadly, the voice of our church’s leaders remains will simply be advocating principles which they themselves fail to follow.

Consider praying New Ways Ministry’s “Labor Day Prayer for LGBT Workers in the Catholic Church“. You can read past Labor Day coverage from 2014 (here), 2013 (here), and 2012 (here).

For Bondings 2.0‘s full coverage of this story, and other LGBT-related church worker disputes, click the ‘Employment Issues‘ category to the right or here. You can click here to find a full listing of the more than 50 incidents since 2008 where church workers have lost their jobs over LGBT identity, same-sex marriages, or public support for equality.

To take action, consider getting an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination policy passed at your Catholic parish, school, hospital, or social service agency. You can find more information on making this change here.

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

10 LGBT Insights from the Pew Survey of U.S. Catholics for Pope Francis’ Visit

As the World Meeting of Families and Pope Francis’ pastoral visit to the U.S. approach, a new Pew Forum poll revealed that the majority of U.S. Catholics’ support nontraditional families. When it comes to LGBT issues specifically, we might have to dig a little deeper to understand the significance of the numbers.

First lets look at some of the facts from the Pew Research Center’s “2015 Survey of U.S. Catholics and Family Life.” Of the 1,016 self-identified Catholics surveyed:

• 70% accept cohabiting same-sex couples;
• 66% accept same-sex couples raising children, including 43% who believe this is as good as any other arrangement;
• 46% believe the church should recognize same-sex marriages.

Reading through the report, I thought Catholic numbers about LGBT families were somewhat down from other surveys. Here are a few thoughts about what is going on and why any conversations about family life should critically use such data, but to do so with some caution.

First, the Pew Research Center splices and dices U.S. Catholicism into groupings. They separate those who attend Mass weekly from those who do not. They separate Catholics from cultural Catholics and from ex-Catholics. Sometimes, sociologically, these are helpful, if imperfect, categorizations, but we cannot rely on them to tell the People of God’s story.

Mass attendance does not a Catholic make. We are united as the Body of Christ through baptism, whether we attend weekly liturgies or have not stepped foot in a church for years. Some of the most faithful Catholics I know, who have offered their entire lives to God, do not attend Mass weekly. And some weekly Mass attendees stop living their faith after that hour on Sunday.

Faith journeys, if embraced with critical reason and open to the mystery of God, may shift us from “Catholic” to “ex-Catholic” and back again over the course of several years or even decades. These categories do not allow for the tenuous relationship with the church so many have, or for our prioritization of being faithful to God as known through Christ rather than adherence to the edicts of human beings. They do not emphasize those who choose to be foremost catholic instead of Roman Catholic or those who yearn to come home, but are kept out.

Second, those identifying as cultural Catholic or ex-Catholic are far more affirming of LGBT issues. The church should listen closely. There are countless reasons why someone raised Catholic decides to leave the church (often to join another faith community), but high among these reasons is the hierarchy’s condemnation of LGBT people and its public campaigning against equal rights. Simply writing off their views because they are “non-practicing” does not allow the true costs of the bishops’ LGBT-negative views to sink in. These costs have included not only damage to LGBT people and their families, but the deep harm such views have inflicted on the church as a whole.

Third, 45% of the American population has a Catholic connection. Pew’s categorization attempts do reveal the interesting reality that when Catholic parents, spouses, and personal religious histories are included, almost half the U.S. population is heavily influenced by Catholicism. I bet this bumps higher if Catholic school is added to the mix. Further evidence for the truism that where there are Catholics so is there greater LGBT equality? I think so.

Fourth, age matters. The younger the Catholic, the more affirming they are. 63% of Millennials (those ages 18-29) say same-sex relationships are equivalent to opposite sex ones. Only 16% of this age bracket condemn same-sex couples compared to 38% of those over 65. The overall acceptance of such couples may be 46%, but pure demographics mean it will not be long before that number tops 50% and keeps climbing.

Fifth, while 44% of Catholics surveyed believe homosexual behavior is a sin, there are 39% who say it is not. For whatever reason, Pew does not include demographic breakdowns among Catholics for this statistic. From everything else I know, I bet age matters here most of all. Millennials overwhelmingly understand oft-repeated refrains: “love is love,” and “love wins.”

Sixth, Hispanic youth are the central question when it comes to age. Hispanic Catholics will be the majority of U.S. Catholics in just a few years. According to some surveys, Hispanic Catholic adults are less affirming of homosexuality than their counterparts, but whether emerging generations will tend towards their parents’ beliefs or those of their more affirming non-Hispanic peers is unclear.

Seventh, U.S. Catholics surveyed are overwhelmingly more accepting of heterosexual ‘sins’ like cohabitation, divorce and remarriage, or the use of artificial contraception. Given that only 4% of Catholics identified as LGB in Pew’s 2014 Religious Landscapes survey, these current numbers suggest people are far more lenient when it comes to their own sins. Might they be a little biased?

Eighth, 42% of Millennials expect the church will recognize same-sex marriages by 2050 and 36% of all Catholics surveyed agree. Could there be ecclesial recognition in just 35 years? A not negligible number of younger Catholics think so — and they will be the ones rising to leadership in coming years.

Ninth, this same group of under-30 Catholics is also far more willing to leave the Catholic Church if they have not done so already. 41% say “they could see themselves leaving the church,” reported Pew, and if LGBT equality changes are not forthcoming, many of them very well may walk away.

Tenth, the Pew numbers reveal Catholics  love their church and have hopes it will change, but they are refusing to tolerate intolerance much longer. As Pope Francis prepares for his first trip ever to the United States, he should consider first just how affirming and inclusive U.S. Catholics really are, and  the precarious position the U.S. bishops put this national church in by their unceasing campaign against LGBT justice and inclusion.

For ongoing LGBT-related updates for the World Meeting of Families, papal visit, and Synod of Bishops in October, subscribe to the blog (for free) by typing your email address in the “Follow” box in the upper right-hand corner of this page, and then click the “Follow” button.

For those attending the World Meeting of Families, or anyone who wants to come to Philadelphia at the end of September, consider attending New Ways Ministry’s half-day workshop on gender diverse families entitled TransForming Love: Exploring Gender Identity from Catholics Perspectives, on Saturday, September 26, 2015, 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at Arch Street United Methodist Church, 55 North Broad Street, Philadelphia.  For more information, click here.

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

Related article:

National Catholic Reporter: “Most US Catholics are fine with nontraditional families”

Fired Teacher “Overjoyed” by Catholic School’s New LGBT Policy; School Apologizes While Diocese Remains Quiet

Statue of the foundress of St. Mary’s Academy’s sponsoring congregation dressed in rainbow garb by students

The decision by Portland, Oregon’s St. Mary’s Academy to positively alter its employment policies after firing a gay staff member was a landmark step. That shift was prompted by a school community which rallied quickly against injustice, and an administration open to new ways of being the church.

While Lauren Brown,  the staff member in question, is “overjoyed” by this decision, and the school is apologizing for its original misstep, Archbishop Alexander Sample and the Diocese of Portland have not yet made a statement of opinion on the matter.

Brown, the lesbian counselor who was essentially fired by having her contract withdrawn by administrators before she started her job told The Willamette Weekly:

“The students, parents, and alumni of St. Mary’s Academy should be so proud today. In 24 hours, they came together to speak up for what they know is right. This success shows that together we really can move mountains. I hope other places in the U.S. and around the world will take notice and feel encouraged by what happened here in Portland. We are all agents of change when we put forth the effort.”

Brown noted that although her initial employment position has been filled, she is “open to listening” to the school’s promise of reconciliation. She affirmed that her “intuition about St. Mary’s Academy [being a safe and loving community] was true all along” and is glad that the discrimination she experienced will never happen again.

DignityUSA’s executive director Marianne Duddy-Burke echoed Brown’s laudatory statement, saying in a statement:

“That St. Mary’s Academy had the courage to look at their action in the light of their values, reverse it, and take steps to ensure that their future policies are rooted in respect and inclusion is a wonderful model.”

New Ways Ministry’s executive director Francis DeBernardo told The Huffington Post he did not know of any other school which had acted thus. You can read New Ways Ministry’s statement on St. Mary’s decision by clicking here.  You can find our listing of the more than fifty church workers who have lost their jobs in LGBT-related disputes since 2008 by clicking here.

Lauren Brown marching in a pride parade

For its part, St. Mary’s Academy is apologizing to the school community for its actions against Brown, reported The Willamette Weekly. The statement said, in part:

“We are deeply sorry for the great pain and turmoil within the St. Mary’s community over the past few days. We recognize that this has not been an easy time and thank you for your understanding, patience, and openness with us during this unprecedented journey.”

LGBT employee protections are, however, still lacking at other Catholic schools in the area and nationwide. Brown’s case could shift this locally, suggested University of Portland visiting theologian Rene Sanchez. She told The Willamette Weekly that it is likely to happen, if not immediately:

“Eventually, there’s going be a shift toward greater acceptance and embracing all of those communities. . .This is not a year-or-two thing.”

While lacking explicit protections, some regional high schools stated that sexual orientation is irrelevant in their hiring processes. Paul Hogan, principal of Jesuit High School, told GoLocalPDX said questions about sexuality would be inappropriate there though he welcomed staff engaging in conversations with students so they can “explore their identities. . .explore all the different parts of themselves.”

Change could by stymied by the diocese, led by Archbishop Sample, which is refusing to clearly comment on St. Mary’s decision. The Huffington Post reports:

” ‘The Archdiocese is aware of the decision made by St. Mary’s Academy, and will continue our conversation with school officials,’ David J. Renshaw, the director of communications for the Archdiocese of Portland, wrote in an email. Asked whether the school may lose its Catholic affiliation, Renshaw declined to say. ‘As the statement indicates, conversations are ongoing.  We all hope for the best resolution.’ “

Speaking to ThinkProgress, Renshaw added that “Canon law does say that the bishop does have oversight or jurisdiction” over the school.  In part, this means that under canon law, he can revoke the school’s canonical status. Whether or not this will happen, and how St. Mary’s will act in the future, is uncertain, but church officials should think closely about the intense and immediate backlash to Brown’s expulsion before choosing to defend discrimination again.

But what if the school’s initial exclusion of Lauren Brown was the final salvo in this larger dispute about LGBT and ally church workers. One blogger at AfterEllen certainly hopes so–primarily for the well being of LGBTQ youth:

“Maybe this long-standing battle of wills between the Catholic church and its LGBT parishioners can one day come to an end. And it’s a good thing, because this tension, this ingrained fear and inequality, is damaging to all, especially young, queer Catholics. . .

“I left the church because I felt I was less than for being a lesbian. I don’t want more kids growing up thinking their God and their Church only loves them if they keep themselves a secret. . .The difference will come from everyday Catholics, including young, queer ones, who keep standing up and keep asking questions. You are not less than, even if it sometimes feels like it.”

LGBTQ youth are victims, as are their teachers, ministers, and allies who happen to work for the church. Expanded marriage rights are wonderful, but without accompanying non-discrimination protections, LGBT church workers remain incredibly vulnerable to the wills of local church officials.

Francis DeBernardo and I often encourage Bondings 2.0’s readers to implement LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination policies at your Catholic institutions. I want to reiterate their importance in light of St. Mary’s Academy’s decision. Sadly, having followed church worker issues since 2012, I doubt Lauren Brown will be the last church worker to lose their job for being gay. But step by step, policy by policy, we can move our church towards a more just and inclusive version of itself.

To get started on an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination policy at your Catholic parish, school, hospital, or social service agency, contact New Ways Ministry at info@newwaysministry.org or (301) 277-5674. You can also find more information on making this change here.

For Bondings 2.0‘s full coverage of this story, and other LGBT-related church worker disputes, click the ‘Employment Issues‘ category to the right or here. You can click here to find a full listing of the more than 50 incidents since 2008 where church workers have lost their jobs over LGBT identity, same-sex marriages, or public support for equality.

–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry