In his address to the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Wesminster made some important more general points, which are of particular relevance to gay men and lesbians. First of these, which he correctly…
Tag Archive for Catholic Church old
Married Priests: Up for Discussion!
Under Francis’ papacy, there have been increasing signs that the question of married priests could come under serious discussion. Now, Pope Francis has said it himself, publicly. Priest celibacy not a dogma - pope Pope Francis on Monday said he…
How Can There be Frank Discussion, in a Climate of Fear?
Ever since his election last year, Pope Francis has caught the popular imagination with his message of inclusion, mercy and hope. This has been particularly notable, for LBGT Catholics, beginning with the celebrated simple line, “Who am I to judge?”…
Celibacy and Gay Catholics, Ex- gay Ministry - and a Genuine, Viable “Third Way”
Popes, Cardinal Kasper agree: Celibacy is difficult. In my previous post, I described how Pope John Paul II wrote that celibacy, although a great spiritual gift, is difficult, and should not be undertaken unless it comes with the special grace…
‘The Third Way’: A Depressing Study in Catholic, Ex-Gay Propaganda.
When I wrote recently about my anger at a video on a supposed “Third Way” in Catholic teaching on homosexuality that has been widely praised by some (conservative) Catholic writers, I knew nothing at all about the background to the…
Senior Bishop: We Need Frank Discussion - Without Taboos
A notable feature of Pope Francis’ style, has been his willingness to listen to people and their troubles, not simply to lecture them on Church teaching. One of his Italian protegés has said that approach to apply particularly to the…
Perseverance: In Politics, in the Church.
At Bondings 2.0, Francis DeBenardo has published a piece called “On Persevering in Spite of Rejection: a follow-up post“. The “follow-up” in this case, refers to my own thoughts here, after I wrote a few weeks ago about my feelings…
Why Are African Bishops Flagrantly Flouting Church Teaching?
Catholic teaching on “homosexuality” is clear - but has much, much more to say than just the well - known bits about genital acts. First, there’s this, from the CDF “Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the…
“Campaigning”: That Word, Again.
When representatives of the then Soho Masses Pastoral Council met with their counterparts representing the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster to negotiate the move of the Soho Masses from the Anglican parish of St Anne’s to the Catholic parish in Warwick…
“Phall if you but will, rise you must”
In this Easter season especially, we need to recall constantly the words of Pope Saint John Paul II, “We are the Easter people”. This is particularly important for me personally this year, after the disappointment I wrote about yesterday (“Despised, Rejected”).…
