LGBT ‘Catholic’ groups:If Pope can reverse ...teaching on death penalty, why not homosex?

LifeSite News ^ | August 3, 2018 | Dorothy Cummings McLean

[unlearner]

LEXINGTON, Kentucky, Pro-homosexual dissident 'Catholic' groups see in Pope Francis' ‘changing’ of the Church’s teaching on the death penalty the hope that the Church will one day also change its teaching against homosexuality.

New Ways Ministry called the change in the Catechism proof that "Church teaching can change."

"It's important for Catholic advocates for LGBT equality to take note of this change because for decades Catholic opponents of LGBT equality argued that it is impossible to change church teaching. They often pointed to the fact that condemnations of same-sex relationships were inscribed in the Catechism, and so were not open for discussion or change. Yet, the teaching on the death penalty is in the Catechism, too, and, in fact, to make this change in teaching, it was the text of the Catechism that Francis changed," the group stated on its website.

New Ways Ministry, which works to "promote the acceptance of LGBT people," said that Pope Francis' move will help advance "LGBT equality" in a number of ways.

"First, we now have a clear, explicit contemporary example of church teaching changing, and also a look into how it can be done: with a papal change to the Catechism," it stated.

"Second, we can see that the process that brought about this change has been decades of theological debate and discussion, and not just a papal whim. That means the theological and even ecclesial discussions and debates right now about LGBT people have great potential to shape future changes in church teaching in regard to those topics," it added.

The pro-gay group was not the only one to see the significance of Pope Francis' rewrite of the Catechism.

In a post that appeared yesterday on Twitter, Lexington-based “Fortunate Families” wrote:

The church cannot change its teaching. That is what so many others say about other topics, for example regarding LGBTQ persons. But doctrine develops. Today’s news is a sterling example.

"The idea first floated by [the] Pope on Catechism’s 25th anniversary last fall to signify development of doctrine,” the tweet continued, “rescript issued today sees Francis issue edit of the 1994 official text, now deeming capital punishment ‘inadmissible’-- the new formulation.”

“Development of doctrine”, legitimately used to describe how the Catholic Church refines and expands, but never undermines or rejects, what was taught earlier, has now been interpreted by some to mean the erasure of settled Church teaching.

Critics say Pope Francis attempted to do that yesterday when he promulgated a new teaching concerning the death penalty in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, saying that it was “inadmissible.” The perennial teaching of the Church, based on Scripture and unanimously accepted by the Church Fathers and every pope until Francis, is that legitimate civil authority may impose the death penalty on a malefactor. Although both Saint John Paul II and Benedict XVI were strongly opposed to capital punishment--and John Paul’s Catechism strongly circumscribed it--neither pope denied this principle.

Pope Francis’ innovation has already become a club for American liberals to beat conservatives with. Jane Fleming Kleeb, Chair of the Democratic Party in Nebraska, has tweeted “Let's be clear Nebraskans, @GovRicketts is going against the teachings of the church. We can change leaders by voting different on Nov. 6--Democrats are against the death penalty.”

Fortunate Families, founded in 1992 by Mary Ellen and Casey Lopata, the Catholic parents of a same-sex attracted man, is a group of Catholic religious and laypeople who dissent on authentic Church teaching regarding sexuality and marriage. From 2010 until this July Fortunate Families was part of a coalition with Call to Action, the banned Dignity, and the censured New Ways ministry.

Astonishingly, since November 2017 Bishop John Stowe, OFM of Lexington has served as the dissident group’s “ecclesial advisor”. Stowe is one of the five bishops who have endorsed Fr. James Martin’s pro-LGBT book Building a Bridge. The bishop was appointed to the Lexington diocese by Pope Francis in 2015.

Fortunate Families was last in the news when a Lexington Catholic church stretched an LGBT flag across its front lawn. The first executive director of the group, Stan “JR” Zerkowski, is a parishioner at St. Paul’s parish, and told media that he hoped the banner got wide publicity.

“This is a church that is open to all people and I hope this sign gets that across,” he said in the TV report. “I don’t think a Catholic Church has ever had a sign like this before in front of it during Pride Week or any other time. However, in other parts of the country we see this regularly.”

The banner read “LBGTQ+ Catholic /Family, Friends & Allies/all are welcome”, insinuating that at other Catholic churches Catholics who experience same-sex desires or suffer from gender dysphoria are barred from the worship of God.

Former homosexual Joseph Sciambra retweeted the group’s Twitter message, saying “Bishop Stowe’s ‘Fortunate Families’ believe that the [Catechism of the Catholic Church] will also ‘change’ in terms of homosexuality. FF operatives are embedded within several dioceses around the US.”

Sciambra, a survivor of the San Francisco 1990s “gay scene”, is dedicated to helping people with same-sex attractions avoid being trapped in what he says is a dangerous way of life.

[metmom]

Heck; a lurker might get the idea that Francis is as foul as a; SPIT!; Protestant.

He's been called that too, by everyone's favorite pope hating Catholic.

[Syncro]

I’m not going to continue to debate this with you, but it’s obvious to anyone who can understand proper reading comprehension that you are wrong about my statement.

We are making the thread about us and if we continue I imagine the thread will be pulled.

OTC Christians want it to stay up.

[Syncro]

Follow the guidelines, ask twice and no more.

What you are doing is badgering.

[metmom]

Saul got converted and turned the world upside down.

There’s hope for any of them.

[ebb tide]

I wouldn’t mind the thread being pulled. It’s a duplicate, deliberatly posted within four hours of the original, to circumvent a caucus.

Good afternoon.

[metmom]

Gotta admit, there’s no lukewarm ones.......

[metmom]

Some people just like the attention from spamming the RF with their pope hating threads, I guess.

[metmom]

I do when I'm on the computer, but I have a life outside FR.

Really ? When?

Since the 1st of the month, your posted thread count is:

8/1 - 8 threads posted

8/2 - 11 threads posted

8/3 - 7 threads posted

8/4 - 11 threads posted

And so far today - 8/5 - 5 threads posted.

For a total of 42 threads posted in less than five days.

Now, presuming that you read all of them to see if they qualify for the caucus designation, and presuming that you are reading them at all and not posting stuff which content you are unaware of, and allowing time for all your replies to said threads, just when do you have time for a life outside FR?

[metmom]

It's not up to a poster to determine what qualifies as a caucus.

Sure it is.

We read it and see if it mentions other faiths. If it does, it does not qualify for the caucus designation.

That's easy to figure out.

[metmom]

Hey, ealgeone, what’s that about Catholics being the first to make it personal?

[metmom]

Sometimes people just miss the caucus designation or aren’t familiar with the RF guidelines, as unlearner stated.

It’s called an honest mistake, something those that think there’s malicious intent to everything a non-Catholic does don’t seem to understand.

[Syncro]

“I wouldn’t mind the thread being pulled. It’s a duplicate, deliberatly posted within four hours of the original, to circumvent a caucus.”

So?

Of course you wouldn’t.

But it’s good to have an open thread on this subject to get input from Christians instead of just Catholics.

Bye bye

[Syncro]

Yes that is usually the case I agree.

And I agree with your last sentence too...

[Syncro]

And the irony is that Catholics used to tell us we must be in subjection to their pope.

And when we revealed something bad a pope did, the Catholics would complain that we were not to diss the pope.

Now may Catholics hate their pope and so their rules go out the window.

Go figure...

[ebb tide]

Sometimes people just miss the caucus designation or aren’t familiar with the RF guidelines, as unlearner stated.

Unlearner has been a member of FR for over 13 years. I don't buy the "ignorance" plea.

[ealgeone]

Hey, ealgeone, what’s that about Catholics being the first to make it personal?

Confirming once again it is usually, though not always, the Roman Catholic who first resorts to the personal attack and/or profanity, when the argument goes against them.

[metmom]

Rules for thee, but not for me.

[Syncro]

“...a long time non-Catholic Freeper posted some threads on the Religion Forum that were positive about the Reformation and Evangelical/Protestant doctrines in opposition to Roman Catholicism and some RCs were so incensed by them they were able to get the threads deleted AND the poster zotted.”

Yes that was not right.

Now one of their own posts almost daily hate filled articles and posts about their pope and it is OK

When we even mentioned something negative about their pope our comments would be removed.

What hypocrites!

It’s amazing that Catholics hate their pope (who they call the Vicar of Christ) so much but stay with the denomination that their hated heretical pope is the HEAD OF!

[Syncro]

“I don’t buy the “ignorance” plea”

Isn’t that the plea that you use?

But heck, you have only been here 6 years.