RELIGION
LGBTQ Catholics Rip Church for Rejecting Marriage
Pope Francis leads Catholic Church’s refusal to bless same-sex unions
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
LGBTQ Catholics are expressing
frustration and
anger after Pope Francis
and the Catholic
Church reaffi rmed their opposition
to same-sex marriage rights
on March 15.
The Catholic Church made headlines
after responding to a question
asking whether the Church has
“the power to give the blessing to
unions of persons of the same sex.”
In an explanation approved by Pope
Francis, the Church said God “does
not and cannot bless sin.”
“There are absolutely no grounds
for considering homosexual unions
to be in any way similar or even remotely
analogous to God’s plan for
marriage and family,” the Catholic
Church wrote in a letter. The
church added that their decision
is not “discriminatory” but a “reminder
LGBTQ Catholics are not happy with Pope Francis’ ongoing opposition to same-sex marriage.
of the truth of the liturgical
rite and the very nature of the
sacramentals, as the Church understands
them.”
Jason Steidl, an out gay catholic
theologian and religious advocate
who lives in Brooklyn, told Gay City
News anti-LGBTQ statements like
this are a “tragedy” and can have devastating
REUTERS/ANDREW MEDICHINI
effects on LGBTQ Catholics.
“There’s a huge disconnect between
what the Church teaches and
how Catholics actually practice and
live their faith,” said Steidl, who is
a member of the Church of St. Paul
the Apostle in Midtown Manhattan.
“This is something that strikes at
the very heart of LGBTQ identity
and our ability to fl ourish, our right
to be ourselves, to grow in love and
relationships with ourselves and
with one another.”
Last year, Pope Francis endorsed
same-sex civil unions and he said
LGBTQ people are “children of
God” and “have a right to family.”
However, his most recent statements
underscore his reluctance
to go any further than that.
“This is devastating for us and
our work,” Steidl said. “We’ve been
struggling so hard to change the
culture…we’ve tried to get church
leaders to listen, and yet they refuse
to time and time again. On the other
hand, this is very consistent with
Pope Francis. Even before this, he
said a lot of very diffi cult things…
he’s said transphobic things and
homophobic things. He’s not an ally
in any sense of the world.”
➤ CATHOLICS, continued on p.13
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MARCH 25 - APRIL 7 , 2 12 021 | GayCityNews.com
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