Pope Francis was game-changer, says London LGBT Catholic group
Pope Francis was a "real game-changer" when it came to the Catholic Church's treatment of gay people, a London LGBT+ faith group has said.Martin Pendergast, the secretary of the LGBT+ Catholics Westminster Pastoral Council, said the pontiff had turned away from "really quite offensive" statements made by his predecessors on issues of sexuality and gender identity.While Pope Francis maintained the Vatican's position that homosexual acts were sinful, he said gay people should not be marginalised from the Church, adding: "Who am I to judge?"The LGBT+ Catholics Westminster group met the Pope at the Vatican in 2019, which Mr Pendergast said caused controversy.
"More conservative Catholics were up in arms because they saw this as the Pope affirming an LGBT group such as we were and are," he said.He described the meeting as a "very significant step" in improving the Church's relations with the LGBT+ community."It was a personal affirmation, but it was also an affirmation of the kind of ministry that we offer here in the Diocese of Westminster, which is a welcoming ministry for LGBT Catholics, parents and families," Mr Pendergast said.
He said another change to tradition took place in 2023 when Pope Francis permitted the blessing of same-sex couples. The pontiff said at the time that any request for a blessing should be treated with "pastoral charity".During Francis's papacy, some priests who were openly gay were removed from their posts but the Vatican changed this policy in 2023, allowing gay men to enter the priesthood as long as they remained celibate.The Pope also issued an apology in May last year following reports that he had used extremely derogatory language towards gay men in a private meeting.
Francis, the first Pope from South America, is also being remembered by other Catholic communities across London.Fr Carlos Abajos, chaplain to the Latin American community at St Anne's Church in Vauxhall, said it was an "amazing surprise" to them when the Argentine was elected Pope in 2013."We thought that was the opportunity for our Latin American community because we were very well-represented," he said.Fr Abajos said Pope Francis adopted a "Latin American style" in his approach to the papacy."He was so near to the people, so spontaneous."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Trans military colonel issues defiant message after being booted from post as Donald Trump ban takes effect
A transgender military official has spoken out after being placed on administrative leave as part of the Trump administration's ban on trans troops. Colonel Bree Fram, who came out as transgender in 2016 when the initial ban on trans troops was lifted, was an astronautical engineer in the U.S. Space Force and was the Pentagon 's division chief for requirements integration. She posted to Instagram on Friday saying 'I have been officially placed on administrative leave, effective tomorrow, pending separation' after the Supreme Court ruled the ban could go ahead. Fram - whose profile picture on the social media app is an LGBT rainbow version of the Space Force logo - defiantly spoke of sobbing as she pinned medals on three of 'my folks' in her last official act in service. She wrote: 'The last salute broke my heart in two and the tears flowed freely even as I have so much to be thankful for and so many amazing memories.' Fram detailed the day she came out in 2016, telling a story of how her colleagues responded to the announcement by shaking her hand and, one by one, saying: 'It's an honor to serve with you.' She also spoke about a similar experience last week, when she announced at a joint staff meeting that she was leaving and that she no longer met 'the current standard for military excellence and readiness'. She said: 'A room full of senior leaders, admirals and generals, walked over to me and the scene from 2016 repeated. They offered those same words, now tinged with the sadness of past tense: "It's been an honor to serve with you".' She added that she walked away with tears in her eyes because Fram felt that it had been her honor all along. She wrote: 'It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve this nation and defend the freedoms and opportunities we have as Americans. My wildest dreams came true wearing this uniform.' In the past six months, Fram had been posting photos of her fellow transgender troops on Instagram listing their accomplishment with the tagline: 'Happens to Be Trans.' Fram told Stars And Stripes that her work recently had been focused on 'defining the future capabilities that we're going to need to win wars far into the future'. She added that her Instagram post was an attempt to speak on behalf of her fellow transgender soldiers. She said: 'It is almost a duty and an obligation to speak on their behalf because it is my privilege to do so and to hopefully represent transgender service members well that do not have the privilege that comes along with the rank and the experience that I do. 'If I don't speak for them and they are unable to speak for themselves, who will speak for them?' In early May, the Supreme Court ruled that President Trump 's ban on troops with gender dysphoria can stand. The Supreme Court's ruling lifts a lower court's decision to pause Trump's policy, which the administration called 'dramatic and facially unfair '. The order allows the Department Of Defense to continue removing trans service members from the military and denying enlistment while lawsuits continue in the lower courts.. On January 20, President Trump signed an executive order ordering Pete Hegseth to enact a ban on 'individuals with gender dysphoria' serving in the U.S. military. District Judge Benjamin Settle in Washington state ruled that the ban violated the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection and barred the government from enforcing Trump's policy. The Trump administration appealed to the U.S. Court Of Appeals for the 9th Circuit but it was rejected, prompting them to appeal to the Supreme Court. Trump's lawyers argued that the ruling was 'contrary to military readiness and the Nation's interests'. The liberal justices - Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson - would have decided against Trump, they indicated in the filing, but the Supreme Court ruling was not signed. The ruling was an emergency appeal prompting an unusually swift ruling from the Supreme Court justices, although they can rule on the merits of the case at a later date. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt celebrated the news in a statement. She wrote: 'Another MASSIVE victory in the Supreme Court! President Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth are restoring a military that is focused on readiness and lethality - not DEI or woke gender ideology.' The ban enacted by the Department Of Defense on February 26 detailed that 'the medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms with, gender dysphoria are incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service'. The level challenge to the order was filed by Commander Emily Shilling, together with six other current transgender service members and one transgender person who wants to join the military. Schilling appeared at the LGBT Community Center dinner on April 10 to be honored for the legal fight against the president and his administration. Schilling said: 'I swore an oath to support and defend the constitution. That oath requires obedience to lawful orders. But when an order undermines the very principles I swore to uphold, I have the responsibility to challenge it.' Shortly after he was inaugurated in 2021, Joe Biden signed an executive order overturning Trump's initial ban on service of transgender individuals in the military. After Trump was inaugurated he ordered the ban to be reinstated. Trump and Hegseth view the extra care required for transgender service members to be a distraction to military readiness. In February, Hegseth ordered a pause on gender-transitioning medical procedures for active duty service members. His memo said: 'Effective immediately, all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused, and all unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for Service members are paused.'
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Trans military colonel issues defiant message after being booted from post as Trump ban takes effect
One of the military's highest ranking transgender officials is speaking out after being placed on administrative leave as part of the Trump administration's ban on trans troops. Colonel Bree Fram, who came out as transgender in 2016 when the initial ban on trans troops was lifted, was an astronautical engineer in the US Space Force and was the Pentagon 's division chief for requirements integration. She posted to Instagram Friday saying 'I have been officially placed on administrative leave, effective tomorrow, pending separation' after the Supreme Court ruled the ban could go ahead. Fram - whose profile picture on the social media app is an LGBT rainbow version of the Space Force logo - defiantly spoke of sobbing as she pinned medals on three of 'my folks' in her last official act in service. 'The last salute broke my heart in two and the tears flowed freely even as I have so much to be thankful for and so many amazing memories.' Fram detailed the day she came out in 2016, telling a story of how her teammates responded to the announcement by shaking her hand and, one by one, saying: 'It's an honor to serve with you.' She also spoke about a similar experience last week, when she announced at a joint staff meeting that she was leaving and that she no longer met 'the current standard for military excellence and readiness.' 'A room full of senior leaders, admirals and generals, walked over to me and the scene from 2016 repeated. They offered those same words, now tinged with the sadness of past tense: 'It's been an honor to serve with you',' she said. She added that she walked away with tears in her eyes because Fram felt that it had been her honor all along. 'It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve this nation and defend the freedoms and opportunities we have as Americans. My wildest dreams came true wearing this uniform.' In the past six months, Fram had been posting photos of her fellow transgender troops on Instagram listing their accomplishment with the tagline: 'Happens to Be Trans.' Fram told Stars and Stripes that, most recently, her work had been focused on 'defining the future capabilities that we're going to need to win wars far into the future.' She added that her Instagram post was an attempt to speak on behalf of her fellow transgender soldiers. 'It is almost a duty and an obligation to speak on their behalf because it is my privilege to do so and to hopefully represent transgender service members well that do not have the privilege that comes along with the rank and the experience that I do,' she said. 'If I don't speak for them and they are unable to speak for themselves, who will speak for them?' In early May, the Supreme Court ruled that Donald Trump 's ban on troops with gender dysphoria can stand. The Supreme Court's ruling lifts a lower court's decision to pause Trump's policy, which the administration called 'dramatic and facially unfair.' The order allows the Department of Defense to continue removing transgender service members from the military and denying enlistment while lawsuits continue in the lower courts.. On January 20, President Trump signed an executive order ordering Hegseth to enact a ban on 'individuals with gender dysphoria' serving in the U.S. military. District Judge Benjamin Settle in Washington state ruled that the ban violated the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection and barred the government from enforcing Trump's policy. The Trump administration appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit but it was rejected, prompting them to appeal to the Supreme Court. Trump's lawyers argued that the ruling was 'contrary to military readiness and the Nation's interests.' The liberal justices - Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson - would have decided against Trump, they indicated in the filing, but the Supreme Court ruling was not signed. The ruling was an emergency appeal prompting an unusually swift ruling from the Supreme Court justices, although they can rule on the merits of the case at a later date. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt celebrated the news in a statement. 'Another MASSIVE victory in the Supreme Court!' she wrote. 'President Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth are restoring a military that is focused on readiness and lethality – not DEI or woke gender ideology.' The ban enacted by the Department of Defense on February 26 detailed that 'the medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms with, gender dysphoria are incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service.' The level challenge to the order was filed by Commander Emily Shilling, together with six other current transgender service members and one transgender person who wants to join the military. Schilling appeared at the LGBT Community Center dinner on April 10 to be honored for the legal fight against the president and his administration. 'I swore an oath to support and defend the onstitution,' Schilling said. 'That oath requires obedience to lawful orders. But when an order undermines the very principles I swore to uphold, I have the responsibility to challenge it.' Shortly after he was inaugurated in 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order overturning Trump's initial ban on service of transgender individuals in the military. After Trump was inaugurated he ordered the ban to be reinstated. Trump and Hegseth view the extra care required for transgender service members to be a distraction to military readiness. In February, Hegseth ordered a pause on gender-transitioning medical procedures for active duty service members. 'Effective immediately, all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused, and all unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for Service members are paused,' his memo said.
Powys County Times
20 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Pope criticises nationalism and prays for reconciliation
Pope Leo has criticised the surge of nationalist political movements in the world as he prayed for reconciliation and dialogue – a message in line with his pledges to make the Catholic Church a symbol of peace. The Pope celebrated Sunday Mass in St Peter's Square in front of tens of thousands of faithful, and asked the Holy Spirit to 'break down barriers and tear down the walls of indifference and hatred'. He declared: 'Where there is love, there is no room for prejudice, for 'security' zones separating us from our neighbours, for the exclusionary mindset that, tragically, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms.' He did not name any specific country or politician. Leo also recalled the words of late Pope Francis, who – on the feast of Pentecost in May 2023 – observed that in our world 'we are all connected, yet find ourselves disconnected from one another, anaesthetised by indifference and overwhelmed by solitude'. The Pope also condemned wars which 'are plaguing our world', and asked the Holy Spirit for 'the gift of peace'. He told the faithful: 'First of all, peace in our hearts, for only a peaceful heart can spread peace in the family, society and international relations.' He then prayed for reconciliation and dialogue wherever there is war in the world. Soon after becoming Pope, Leo pledged to work for unity and peace. His first message: 'Peace be with you all,' set the importance of peace as a pillar of his papacy.
