
CV NEWS FEED // Several cardinals and Synod members attended a pro-LGBT event in Rome on October 8, hosted by Fr. James Martin, S.J., and his “Outreach” group, in collaboration with Jesuit-run America Magazine, according to a report from LifeSiteNews.
The report shared that the event took place alongside the Synod on Synodality and was gathered for the purpose of hearing testimonies from “LGBTQ Catholics.”
Fr. Martin founded Outreach in 2022 as an “LGBTQ Catholic Ministry.” CatholicVote provided a thorough examination of the ministry, including its refusal to condemn the sacrilegious actions of the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” and its promotion of the sexualization of Catholicism.
Outreach published articles describing the Transfiguration as Jesus “coming out” as divine and holding the martyred St. Sebastian as “an icon for queer desire and life,” stating that the manner of his death “stand[s] for the painful arrows of unjust persecution as well as for the pleasurable arrows of erotic desire,” CatholicVote reported.
Christopher Vella, leader of Malta’s LGBT Catholic group Drachma, spoke at the October 8 event about his experience as a “bisexual Catholic married to another man.” He called for the Church to embrace the reality of LGBTQ Catholics and “allow love to be expressed.”
The report shared that Father Antoine Kerhuel, S.J., secretary of the Jesuits, offered a welcome to the attendees, while Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., bishop of Hong Kong, led a prayer during the event, saying:
Oh, Holy Spirit, send us your guiding light of truth, so that our ignorance and prejudices can melt away through this synodal encounter, and a new morn marked by mutual respect and empathic understanding can take shape in our church for our LGBTQ+ sisters and brothers, as well as for ourselves and our church as a whole.
According to the LifeSiteNews report, also participating on the panel at the event was Juan Carlos Cruz, a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. Cruz has gained attention for his claim that Pope Francis once remarked to him, “God made you gay.”
Pope Francis sent a handwritten note to Fr. Martin, thanking him for his ministry and offering prayers and good wishes to him and his team during a 2023 Outreach conference, CatholicVote reported. According to an August 2024 report from Vatican News, the Pope has since “sent his regards” to four Outreach events in total.
