Pope Francis is allowing ordained ministers to bless same-sex couples as long as it isn’t confused with the sacrament of marriage, according to a new document issued by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith Dec. 18.
Father James Martin
Father James Martin Chosen by Pope to Participate in Synod at Vatican
Jesuit Father James Martin, editor at large of America magazine and founder of an outreach ministry to LGBTQ+ Catholics, has been chosen by Pope Francis to take part in the upcoming Synod of Bishops on Synodality at the Vatican this October.
LGBTQ+ Catholics Urged to ‘Proclaim Compassionate Love of God’ by Outreach 2023 Speakers
With a well-attended Mass that sent people forth with a rousing rendition of Richard Smallwood’s “I Love the Lord” — served up by the choir of New York’s St. Paul the Apostle Church and soloist Paulist Father Steven Bell — the third annual Outreach gathering of LGBTQ+ Catholics came to a close after a weekend of thoughtful discussion panels held at the Lincoln Center campus of Fordham University.
Writing About LGBTQ Ministry, Pope Says God Loves All His Children
God loves all his children, “each and every one,” Pope Francis said in a letter Jesuit Father James Martin read to people participating in the Outreach LGBTQ Ministry webinar.
Fr. James Martin Reflects on Meeting With Pope
Father James Martin, S.J., editor-at-large at the Jesuit-run, Manhattan-based America Magazine, met with Pope Francis on Sept. 30 in a private audience at the Vatican.
Fr. James Martin: Pope Was ‘Attentive, Welcoming and Warm’ During Meeting
On Monday, Pope Francis met with Jesuit Father James Martin, an American priest who has dedicated most of the past three years to ministering to LGBT Catholics, whom he describes as the “most marginalized group” in the Catholic Church.
The Spirit of the Age
Dear Editor: Recent letters say Jesuit Father James Martin merely seeks respect and compassion for gays. Yet Father Martin has avoided inviting them to repentance and reminding them of Our Lord’s, “Go and sin no more.” He rationalizes his attitude with the sophistry that because homosexuals don’t agree with Church doctrine, it means they haven’t “received it,” and therefore are not bound by it.