Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, D.C., speaking at the “Outreach” Conference for Catholics who identify as LGBTQ, stressed the need for unity in what he called “an extraordinary if not risky moment for our Church and country.”
In his homily, Gregory said that “the presence and the pastoral needs of our LGBTQ sisters and brothers may often be viewed as a volatile topic, but they must be faced with sincerity and genuine compassion.”
He called the conference “an opportunity for people to listen to one another in love, knowing full-well that we might see another’s position as difficult to understand and to accept.” He went on to shared his hope that the event would advance the goal of making the Church “stronger, holier, and more welcoming.”
According to the conference’s website, Outreach “gathers LGBTQ laypeople, clergy, scholars, artists, educators, students, and family members to build community, share best practices, and worship together.”
The gathering is organized by Outreach, a Catholic LGBTQ resource group founded by Jesuit priest and theologian Father James Martin.
This year the conference took place Aug. 2–4 at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The event included several talks, panel discussions, times for prayer, and social events. Topics included “parenting LGBTQ children,” “transgender Catholics and the Church,” “the Bible and homosexuality,” and “gifts of a life of chastity.”
}
(function() {
const most_read_url = ‘/most-read-api’;
var historyList = document.getElementById(‘mostread-inbzrFXk8b’);
fetch(most_read_url).then((result) => {
var json_result = result.json();
json_result.then((data) => {
historyList.innerHTML = ”;
data.forEach((item, i) => {
var html = render(i, item.url, item.title);
historyList.innerHTML += html;
if ((i + 1) >= 5) {
return false;
}
});
});
}).catch((err) => {
console.error(err);
});
})();
