
Andreas Wailzer Video Screengrab / X
CV NEWS FEED // At the World Economic Forum this week, the president of the pro-LGBT organization Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) stated that her organization is “working with” Pope Francis.
In a video clip posted to X, Sarah Kate Ellis stated during a WEF session, “We are working with the Pope, and we have been working with the Pope and other religious leaders, and I think we’ve seen the most movement we’ve ever seen. Now we’ve seen some setbacks and I’m not saying anyone – don’t, you know, we have to be careful about progress. It’s not perfect. And no one is perfect in their path to progress. We’re talking about an institution that has been around as long as humankind, honestly.”
She added, “To see the Pope talk about, you know, that gay folks can become, can enter the seminary, that he believes in blessing same-sex marriages. This is juxtaposed to what we’re seeing in America.”
CatholicVote recently reported that the Church does not allow those who struggle with homosexual inclinations to enter the seminary. In a May 2024 interview, Pope Francis stated priests are not allowed to bless homosexual unions.
GLAAD is, according to their website, “a non-profit organization focused on LGBTQ advocacy and cultural change. GLAAD works to ensure fair, accurate, and inclusive representation and creates national and local programs that advance LGBTQ acceptance.”
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In 2021, Pope Francis appointed Juan Carlos Cruz Chellew, a survivor of sexual abuse, to be on the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. As of 2023, Cruz is also a board member of GLAAD.
On June 19, 2021, Cruz posted pictures of himself greeting the Pope on Instagram. In the caption, he wrote about being able to thank Pope Francis for the appointment and emphasized his commitment to helping sexual abuse survivors.
Cruz shared that he found an ally in Pope Francis in a speech at an Outreach Conference, an event run by a self-described Catholic ministry that has drawn criticism for defying Church teaching on chastity.
“I have wrestled with the contradictions of being both Catholic and gay,” Cruz said, “trying to reconcile my faith with my identity. But it is in the heart of this struggle where I found an unlikely friend, an ally, a guiding force–Pope Francis, a friend in the most unexpected of places.”
GLAAD’s biography of Cruz states, “Currently serving as a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Vatican, Juan Carlos works tirelessly to ensure the safety and well-being of society’s children and vulnerable people. His advisory role to Pope Francis showcases his dedication to creating a safer and more equitable world recently working with the Pope to denounce the criminalization of LGBTQ+ people around the globe.”
