17c起草社区

Editor鈥檚 note: This article was first published in the , an LGBTI news outlet based in Washington DC, US. Michael K. Lavers is the 叠濒补诲别鈥檚 International News Editor and this story was reproduced with his permission.

LGBT Catholics and their allies who gathered in Philadelphia last聽weekend used Pope Francis鈥� visit to the city as an opportunity to highlight their efforts to make the church more inclusive.

Equally Blessed Families, a coalition of groups within the church that support LGBT-specific issues, and New Ways Ministry, a Maryland-based organisation that advocates on behalf of LGBT Catholics, held a series of workshops at Arch Street Methodist United Church on Saturday that coincided with Pope Francis鈥� arrival to the city.

[showads聽ad=MREC]The event was originally scheduled to take place at a local parish, but the Archdiocese of Philadelphia last month announced it would not allow the church to host the event.

Keystone Catholics, as an 鈥渙nline advocacy organisation dedicated to promoting social justice and the common good,鈥� organised a picnic that took place at the John C. Anderson Apartments, a housing complex in Center City for LGBT seniors.

Former Philadelphia City councilman Jim Kenney, who is running for mayor, and Sister Jeannine Gramick, co-founder of New Ways Ministry, were among those who spoke at the event.

Margie Winters, a former teacher at a Catholic school in suburban Philadelphia who lost her job in July because she married her partner, said she hopes Francis will publicly speak out against the way she and other LGBT educators have been treated by church officials.

鈥淢y firing, as too many others like it, has touched the core of who we are as people of faith,鈥� Winters said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e Catholic. It鈥檚 about Catholic identity within the church.鈥�

Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of Dignity USA, a group of LGBT Catholics, during an interview with the expressed disappointment that Francis did not speak out against anti-LGBT violence and the criminalisation of homosexuality while .

Duddy-Burke also criticised the Argentine-born pontiff for referring to 鈥渋deological colonisation鈥� and 鈥渂ehaviours that are not human鈥� and 鈥渦nnatural鈥� during his speech.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that LGBT people heard the message of greater inclusion that we were looking for,鈥� she told the Blade.

Vatican spokesperson: Marriage “unites” man and woman

FRANCIS聽repeatedly highlighted the family in his homilies and public statements during his five-day trip to the US that began on September 22.

The pontiff during his speech to Congress said the 鈥渧ery basis of marriage and the family鈥� is being 鈥渃alled into question.鈥�

On Sunday during the mass he celebrated on Philadelphia鈥檚 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, he referenced 鈥渢he alliance between one man and one woman鈥� generates life”.

On聽September 22 in the Cuban city of Santiago de Cuba, Francis said spaces for families 鈥渁re shrinking”.

Maykel Gonz谩lez Vivero, an independent Cuban LGBT rights advocate and journalist, expressed concern over the meeting. He聽told that Archbishop Dionisio Guillermo Garc铆a Ib谩帽ez of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba made a reference to 鈥渙ther鈥� families.

鈥�(The meeting) had unfavourable implications for families headed by same-sex couples,鈥� Gonz谩lez told the Blade.

Francis on September 23 called for a 鈥渢olerant and inclusive鈥� society of the White House. Retired New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson was among more than 10,000 people who were on hand for the event. The pontiff in 2013 told reporters that .

鈥淭he vision of the Pope and of the church of the family is the family that is built by a man and a woman,鈥� Rev Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesperson, told reporters on Sunday in response to a question about why the pontiff chose not to focus more time on highlighting the church鈥檚 definition of family while in the US.

鈥淭he Christian family has the sacrament of marriage that unites the man and the woman.鈥�

Francis “reminding us of the basics”

Delfin Bautista, a transgender man who attended the Equally Blessed Families workshops on Saturday, largely welcomed Francis鈥� tone and focus on economic justice and other non-LGBT issues.

鈥淛esus didn鈥檛 get bogged down about teachings or in doctrine,鈥� Bautista said.

鈥淛esus talked about love and the pope is reminding us of the basics.鈥�

Bautista wore a skirt to the World Meeting of Families that coincided with Francis鈥� visit, which created 鈥渋ssues of safety, emotionally鈥� because people were staring. Bautista also stopped attending mass on a regular basis, in part, because of the Vatican鈥檚 anti-trans rhetoric.

鈥淪ometimes we take a step forward, then two steps back and then sideways,鈥� Bautista told the .

Duddy-Burke said several of the speakers who took part in the World Meeting of Families engaged in 鈥渇ear-mongering鈥� to attack marriage rights for same-sex couples and gays and lesbians who are raising children.

She told the Blade that men with the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Families and Property, a Pennsylvania-based group, who were collecting signatures for a petition in support of 鈥渢raditional marriage鈥�, began yelling at her wife on the street after telling them she would not sign it.

Two men from the same group were collecting petition signatures on Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Sunday ahead of Francis鈥� mass.

They plan to present them next month during a gathering of Catholic bishops in Rome during which a vote on a document that specifically addresses the family will take place.

LGBT organisations have sharply criticised the Vatican over leaked drafts of the document that reiterate its opposition to unions between same-sex couples.

鈥淚t鈥檚 (been) a very intense week,鈥� Duddy-Burke told the Blade on Saturday.

To read the full story from the Washington Blade,

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