Gay Catholic group gets VIP treatment at Vatican for first time

Reuters ^ | 02/18/2015 | Philip Pullella

[thetallguy24]

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A prominent American Catholic gay rights group was given VIP treatment for the first time at an audience with Pope Francis on Wednesday, a move members saw as a sign of change in the Roman Catholic Church.

"This is a sign of movement that's due to the Francis effect," said Sister Jeannine Gramick, co-founder of New Ways Ministry, which ministers to homosexual Catholics and promotes gay rights in the 1.2 billion-member Church.

Gramick and executive director Francis DeBernardo led a pilgrimage of 50 homosexual Catholics to the audience in St. Peter's Square.

They told Reuters in an interview afterwards that when the group came to Rome on Catholic pilgrimages during the papacies of Francis's predecessors John Paul and Benedict, "they just ignored us".

This time, a U.S. bishop and a top Vatican official backed their request and they sat in a front section with dignitaries and special Catholic groups. As the pope passed, they sang "All Are Welcome," a hymn symbolizing their desire for a more inclusive Church.

[Steve_Seattle]

"He (or at least media coverage of him) is obsessed with homosexuality."

The media have been obsessed with homosexuality for some years now. My theory is that they see this as a wedge issue to isolate traditional Christians from the rest of the population.

Progressives desperately need to feel better than everyone else, and one way to do this is pick out an issue like homosexuality - where they know the church can't change without being guilty of apostasy - and hammer on it and hammer on it, repeating the message that Christians are evil bigots no different from the Nazis.

The underside of this is that many progressives secretly regard homosexuality as a disorder, which is why they often accuse "homophobes" of being closet gays. I personally know a liberal woman who is "all in" on gay marriage, but who occasionally takes a verbal swipe at some man who she thinks is secretly gay, even if the man is not claiming to be anti-gay.

[darkangel82]

Good thing I’m not a member of the church or I’d be sick right now.

[grobdriver]

which ministers to homosexual Catholics and promotes gay "rights"

Can't do both, Sister.

[Tulane]

Agree that the media sees this as a wedge issue.

[Alex Murphy]

GCPFL

A prominent American Catholic gay rights group was given VIP treatment for the first time at an audience with Pope Francis on Wednesday, a move members saw as a sign of change in the Roman Catholic Church....a U.S. bishop and a top Vatican official backed their request and they sat in a front section with dignitaries and special Catholic groups. As the pope passed, they sang "All Are Welcome," a hymn symbolizing their desire for a more inclusive Church.

Preferred seating is a sign of change?

[GBA]

I guess “thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s ass” is no longer fashionable at the Vatican

Lol, Now that's funny...a sad, sign of the times, but I can't help but laugh.

What a mess. ISIS prisoners aren't the only things that will be burning when the time comes...soon?

[Gamecock]

In my church preferred seating is the back row. Helps you get out quickly after the service and beat the Baptists to the cafeteria.

[Dr. Thorne]

Nah. The jokes are too easy.

[BlatherNaut]

“OUT OF THE CLOSET” AND INTO THE CHURCH!

http://www.angelusonline.org/index.php?section=articles&subsection=show_article&article_id=772

[dila813]

I wouldn’t have any problem with the Pope washing the feet of a sodomite, but this group is a group that is promoting sin within the Church and spreading false teachings.

It would be like Jesus helping the coin changers at the temple by remaining silent and doing nothing.

There is a difference between loving a sinner and being acquiescent to the sin.

[Vaduz]

Gay Catholic group gets VIP treatment at Vatican for first time Pope says let me show you our basement.

[lastchance]

This has much deeper implications than one might suppose. This is not just a run of the mill dissident group. The leader Sister Gramick was disciplined by CDF some years back. The discipline included this notice,

“Sister Jeannine Gramick, SSND, and Father Robert Nugent, SDS, are permanently prohibited from any pastoral work involving homosexual persons and are ineligible, for an undetermined period, for any office in their respective religious institutes.”

Then Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Emeritus Benedict was head of CDF at the time. So this meeting not only legitimizes this group but disdains the findings of CDF under Pope Francis’ predeceser (sp). It is a great big loogy spat right at the feet of those Catholics who hold to Church teaching on sexuality.

[lastchance]

A little reminder of just who Sister Gramick, is,

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19990531_gramick-nugent-notification_en.html

[lastchance]

I always wonder if the people who insist on sitting on the end of the pew hear a better homily? I mean I get the advantage of first in, first out (like dry goods) but there must be more to it, right?

[Gamecock]

All kidding aside, I feel claustrophobic sitting in the middle.

Sitting on the end helps relieve that feeling.

[Hulka]

And that means hate the sin but pray for the sinner. . .and minister to the sinner. . .

While I am confused by this supposed “VIP” treatment, I can see the Pope meeting with them, to engage with them, to minister to them.

Locking them outside the gates is not a way to reach the sinner.

IMHO. . .

[BlatherNaut]

"Catholics Cited as Top LGBT Faith Voices of 2012"

While we are still in the season of looking back at 2012 while we jump right into 2013, we’d like to mention proudly that New Ways Ministry’s Co-founder Sister Jeannine Gramick was named as one of the top ten pro-LGBT faith voicesof 2012 by GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation)! Additionally, we are delighted that two other Catholics made the list: Barbara Johnson, the lesbian who was denied communion at her mother’s funeral; and Dominic Sheahan Stahl, the gay man who was disinvited as a commencement speaker from his high school alma mater.

In naming Sister Jeannine, GLAAD stated:

“Nuns were a big deal in 2012, and the LGBT community had a great ally in Sister Jeannine Gramick. She was one of the most visible pro-LGBT Catholic voices as Maryland adopted marriage equality and through the ballot process. She spoke about Roman Catholic hierarchy to MSNBC, and created a video series on The Daily Beast to discuss faith and life, including LGBT issues.”

https://newwaysministryblog.wordpress.com/2013/01/02/catholics-cited-as-top-lgbt-faith-voices-of-2012/

[lastchance]

I totally respect that. Lately I find myself longing for a remote for the church organ. Overly loud music makes me feel claustrophobic.

[GeronL]

The SBC churches are all independent though

[NKP_Vet]

“I can see the Pope meeting with them, to engage with them, to minister to them”.

Make me laugh. If the truth was known he gave these openly practicing sodomites Holy Communion. Homosexuality has all but destroyed the Church and the Pope seems oblivious to it. What the church needs is a purge starting from the top down. Get rid of every single Wuerl and other closeted homosexual bishops and take their priestly duties away from them. Francis has made things worse. Nothing gets better with this leftist Jesuit sitting in the chair of Peter.