Sunday 17th February will be the last Mass celebrated by the Soho Masses Community at their present base in Warwick Street. Even though we are now into the season of Lent, this should indeed be a major celebration, with the…
Monthly Archives: February 2013
Let Us Remember, for Feb 14th, Queer Lovers in Church History
SS Sergius & Bacchus: Gay lovers, Roman soldiers, martyrs and saints. ****** As LGBT Catholics, it is important to recognize that our counterparts have featured strongly in Church history, although modern bowdlerized versions thereof have airbrushed us out. To redevelop…
Let Us Remember, for Feb 13th, Saints Polyeuct and Nearchos
The Roman soldiers, lovers and martyrs Sergius and Bacchus are well known examples of early queer saints. Polyeuct and Nearchos are not as familiar- but should be. John Boswell (“Same Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe“) names the two as one…
French Parliament Approves Equal Marriage. More Will Follow.
A week ago today, the British lower house approved the second reading of an equal marriage bill, sending it to the committee stage for clause by clause scrutiny. Across the channel, the French equivalent to our bill has already gone…
Lest We Forget: Remember the Ashes of Our Martyrs
For Ash Wednesday, I reminded readers here that the season of Lent is also a “joyful” season, an aspect that should not be ignored. We should never forget though, that it is also a solemn time, above all a time…
The New Pope’s In-tray
Linking five pressing issues (listed by the Guardian) that the next pope will have to address, is a common theme sex and gender. But the these cannot be dealt with adequately without first tackling a more fundamental problem: the clerical…
The Papal Resignation: Response from New Ways Ministry
The following is the statement of New Ways Ministry’s Executive Director Francis DeBernardo on the announcement of Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation: The news of Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation has surprised the Catholic community worldwide, and here at New Ways Ministry…
Catholic MP’s Back Gay Marriage
It’s now well known that in the USA, Catholic opinion has departed from the lead of the bishops on gay marriage: Catholics in general are more likely than other Christians, and as least as likely as the general population, to…
Joseph Gentilini - Hounded by Heaven
I first came across the phrase, “The Hound of Heaven” when it was used by my religion teacher, an O.M.I. priest, at secondary school in Johannesburg, many years ago. At first I had difficulty understanding the concept, unable to grasp…
French Bishops: Respect Gay Relationships (2).
Introducing the important point in the French bishops’ document yesterday on the need to respect same - sex relationships, I concentrated on the single statement that leads them to their conclusion: …..several studies show that homosexual practices have evolved and…
