How the Pope's Recent Remarks on Evolution Highlight a Major Discrepancy in Church Teaching

There's been a lot of media attention focused on Pope Francis' recent comments about evolution.

Reports the Washington Post:

Delivering an address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Pope Francis continued his habit of making provocative, seemingly progressive statements. The pontiff appeared to endorse the theory of the Big Bang and told the gathering at the Vatican that there was no contradiction between believing in God as well as the prevailing scientific theories regarding the expansion of our universe.

The way some news outlets are reporting it, Francis has made a groundbreaking declaration. In reality, he's simply reiterating what's been official Catholic thinking on the matter for the past six decades, i.e., belief in God is not incompatible with the acceptance of evolution. During his papacy, Benedict XVI espoused the same view. Indeed, ever since the reforms of Pope Pius XII, the Vatican has espoused belief in theistic evolution, meaning the Divine Presence which we commonly refer to as God, set in motion and infuses the creative process known as evolution.

I welcome Francis reminding us of this, and intend using some of his recent statements in "Companions on a Sacred Journey," the workshop on evolutionary spirituality that I'm currently conducting with groups of local Catholics. Yet the Pope's statements also serve to highlight a major discrepancy in the Vatican's thinking and teaching.


Two different worldviews

This discrepancy stems from two very different worldviews that are employed when dealing with different areas of human inquiry and experience. When it comes to the evolution of the universe, the planet, and humanity, the Vatican is open to what is known as the historically conscious worldview. According to this worldview, reality is dynamic, evolving, and ever-changing. The findings of science are valued and readily integrated into theological understandings and formulations. We see all of this with the Vatican's stance on evolution. Yet when it comes to the reality of human sexuality the Vatican chooses to employ a very different worldview, one that's known as the classicist worldview. Unlike the historical conscious worldview, the classicist worldview sees reality as static, fixed, and always and everywhere the same.

So here's the interesting thing: in important areas such as biblical scholarship and the study of the cosmos, the Vatican has, over time, shifted from the classicist worldview to the historical conscious worldview. Yet in the fields of gender and sexuality, it remains firmly entrenched in the classicist worldview.

In other words, the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church now accepts science when it comes to thinking and talking about astronomy and the evolution of the planet (including the evolution of humanity), but it doesn't accept science when it comes to thinking and talking about the complex reality of sexuality. This discrepancy has been described by some as a glaring and untenable example of intellectual dishonesty. (For more about the classicist and historical conscious worldviews, click here).


A certain mindset

Why are the members of Roman Catholicism's clerical caste so reluctant to embrace the historical conscious worldview when dealing with issues of sexuality? The answer, I believe, is, in part, rooted in a certain mindset that formed in the Middle Ages and lives on in the church's clerical caste. In his authoritative work The Origins and Role of Same-Sex Relations in Human Societies, James Neil clearly and succinctly identifies and discusses this mindset, one that is vividly illustrated by the writings of Saint Anselm of Canterbury, included in Neil's book.

There is one evil, an evil above all other evils, that I am aware is always within me, that grievously and piteously lacerates and afflicts my soul. It was with me from the cradle, it grew with me in childhood, in adolescence, in my youth it always stuck to me, and it does not desert me even now that my limbs are failing because of my old age. This evil is sexual desire, carnal delight, the storm of lust that has smashed and battered my unhappy soul, emptied it of all strength, and left it weak and empty.

It's a rather negative view of sexuality, wouldn't you say?

Personally, I prefer the more poetic and thus, I believe, more honest and truthful musings offered by author Winston Graham who, in the eighth Poldark novel, The Stranger from the Sea, has the character of Demelza imagining sexual desire as "a sea dragon of an emotion . . . causing half the trouble of the world, and half the joy."

Perhaps poor Anselm only ever experienced the trouble and never the joy. It's just a pity that his subjective experience of sexuality become codified as objective truth for a good number of centuries. But that's the danger of the classicist worldview: it can turn the particular into the universal and immutable.

Here's what James Neil writes in The Origins and Role of Same-Sex Relations in Human Societies about Anselm's situation and its consequences for Christianity:

Late in [his] life, Saint Anselm of Canterbury anguished over the sexual drive that, despite a lifetime of devotion to God, stubbornly refused to release him even in old age. In writing these words, Anselm could have been speaking for many other Medieval clergymen who devoted themselves to the church's strict anti-sexual moral teachings – a moral code that demonized their own sexual natures. The roots of the psychological disturbance or neurosis are easy to see in the sincere dedication of these devout clergymen to the ascetic sexual ideal that not only required them to suppress a fundamental human instinct, but taught them that their innermost self was evil. The conflict between their beliefs, on the one hand, and the urges of their bodies on the other, set in motion a psychological struggle that was, in fact, a classic example of neurosis as defined in standard psychoanalytic reference work.

. . . Such a conflict would appear to be particularly acute in the case of a person conditioned by religious indoctrination to be repelled by sex, one of the most basic instinctual drives. If the urges were homosexual, the psychological stress would be even greater. The "neurotic symptoms" produced in individuals with such an internal conflict typically take the form of reaction formation, a psychological defense in which the negativity they feel toward the intolerable characteristic is directed to others who display the same loathed characteristics. . . . The level of hostility they displayed to homosexuality was directly proportional to the strength of homosexual responsiveness recorded within each of them.

Putting it another way, because of the distorted lens through which such clergymen perceived sex, and because of his own emotional discomfort with it, [Anselm] could never deal with the subject truly rationally or dispassionately. Hence the references we see to sexual behavior in the morally conservative clergy of the Middle Ages are in almost all cases couched in histrionic and super-heated hyperbole. Likewise the visceral disgust conservative clergy felt for those practicing homosexuality.

In assessing the impact of the anti-sexual thinking and writings of Anselm, Augustine, William of Auxerre, and others, theologian Daniel Maguire insists that we must be candid in acknowledging that "Catholics and other Christians pumped a lot of bad notions of sex and sexual pleasure into Western culture."

Maguire also makes this interesting observation:

One might think that the puritanical horror of sex has been dissipated in a culture where sex is used ubiquitously in the marketplace to promote sales, and frenzied pornography abounds. However, as theologian Grace Jantzen observes, this obsession reflects the historical Christian obsession and is really “the same preoccupation, turned inside out.” The addiction to pornography is fueled by discomfort with sex. It has been suggested that pornography might dull our feeling for the other – in effect, killing love.

Signs of hope

It seems sadly obvious that when it comes to issues of gender and sexuality, the Roman Catholic clerical caste, including the Pope, remain entrenched in the classicist worldview, one still tied in many ways to the anti-sexual moral teachings of Medieval thinking. Yet there are signs of hope in our church for a renewed understanding of sexuality, an understanding firmly grounded in the historical conscious worldview.

Earlier this month in the Twin Cities, Fr. John Heagle and Sister Fran Ferder, longtime educators and authors in the field of human sexuality, spoke at Call to Action MN's Fall Conference. The title and focus of their presentation was "Where Love and Justice Meet: An Emerging Sexual Ethic for Our Time."

This focus was consciously chosen by the conference's organizers because of the strong believe held by many local Catholics that our church is facing a crucial turning point in its understanding of sexuality. Indeed, for many Catholic worldwide, it has become clear that the lived experience of ordinary people differs significantly from official church teaching. The "traditional" Catholic ethic that most grew up with, an ethic grounded in Medieval philosophy and natural law theory, is simply no longer adequate in addressing contemporary issues of human sexuality.

Throughout their October 18 presentation, Heagle and Ferder explored a biblically-based understanding of the gift of sexuality and the responsibility of faithful loving. Such an exploration involved making the connections between relationships and biblical justice, sexuality, and systems of power. At one point they noted that Jesus had little to say about the biology of sex, but spoke decisively about the qualities of authentic loving: respect, responsibility, covenantal faithfulness, and mutuality.

Overall, it was a very helpful and hopeful presentation, one that explored issues of gender, sexuality, and intimacy in much more meaningful ways then those offered by the hierarchy. This is because Heagle and Ferder are operating within a historical conscious worldview, one that is open to the collective wisdom of humanity.

I would contend that the majority of Catholics are operating within this worldview. In her latest National Catholic Reporter column, Jamie L. Manson offers support to this contention when she compellingly writes:

Many bishops have spent the last three decades remaining silent on issues related to the family or silencing those who dared to question the institutional church's teachings on sexuality. In the meantime, Catholic theologians, ethicists and laypeople have been pursuing deeper inquiries, listening to concrete human experiences, and developing contemporary moral frameworks grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition.

Many laypeople have already cultivated their own capacity for moral discernment; they have exercised their God-given gift of conscience; they have managed to grow spiritually without institutional church's constant instruction; they have found that their relationships, which the bishops would label "irregular," are, in fact, deeply sacramental.

Another sign of hope is the recent position paper written and published by the Twin Cities-based Council of the Baptized, a 21-member panel of Catholics chartered in 2012 to be a "collegial voice for a growing community of Catholics in honoring their baptismal responsibility for their local church." The council's latest position paper is entitled "Toward a Healthy Christian Theology of Sexuality," and I'll close with an excerpt from its introduction. (The full paper can be read by clicking here.)

The Council of the Baptized of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is concerned about developing a healthy Christian theology of sexuality. We know that sexuality is with us from conception to death, and that any knowledge and understandings we can gain about it will be self-enhancing and result in improved personal and interpersonal relationships. Unfortunately, the Church's theology of sexuality often comes across to many people as basically negative – a series of no's and prohibitions. We believe a more positive and nourishing theological approach to human sexuality would better serve as a basis for addressing contemporary questions and for dialoguing with other Catholics, other Christians, our Jewish sisters and brothers, and all who are genuinely interested in dialogue.

As faithful Catholics we have heeded the spirit of the Second Vatican Council and informed our consciences on Church teachings. The proposal [contained in this paper] will show that the Church teachings on sexual ethics are reformable. We ask that the entire People of God – hierarchy, theologians, and laity – be consulted and their voices respected on sexual topics. We urge the Church to take into account the findings of contemporary biological research and the policies of professional health associations and world organizations dedicated to improving health. We ask that men who have taken the vows of celibacy no longer be the sole arbiters of official teaching on Christian sexual morality. Only when the voices and lived experience of the whole "People of God," especially those of women and all those who are sexually active, are taken into account will a sexual ethic be credible and faithful.

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Beyond the Hierarchy: The Blossoming of Liberating Catholic Insights on Sexuality
• The Non-Negotiables of Human Sex
• The Many Manifestations of God’s Loving Embrace
• Same-Sex Desires: "Immanent and Essential Traits Transcending Time and Culture"
• A Church That Can and Cannot Change
• Johnson and Tushnet Debate is as Much About Revelation as it is Homosexuality
• Sister Teresa Forcades on Queer Theology
• Quote of the Day – May 31, 2014
• Jesus, Sex, and Power
• Daniel Maguire on the Wedding of Sexuality and Spirituality
• Getting It Right

Related Off-site Links:
Five Facts About Evolution and Religion – David Masci (Pew Research Center, October 30, 2014).
Conservatives Will Take Their Ball and Go Home if Francis Changes “Their” Church – Patricia Miller (Religion Dispatches, October 28, 2014).
Homosexual Relationships: Another Look – Bill Hunt (The Progressive Catholic Voice, September 8, 2012).
Creating a Liberating Church – Rosemary Radford Ruether (The Progressive Catholic Voice, July 15, 2010).

On the First Anniversary of Marriage Equality in Minnesota, a Celebratory Look Back at the Important Role Played by Catholics

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Today, May 14, 2014, marks the one year anniversary of Governor Mark Dayton's signing into law the bill that allows marriage equality for same-sex couples in Minnesota.

To mark this special anniversary I offer a celebratory look back at the role Minnesota Catholics played in helping secure marriage equality in the civil sphere for same-sex couples.

In Minnesota, the Catholic organization that most helped organize support and advocacy for and education about marriage equality was the Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities (CPCSM), primarily through its Catholics for Marriage Equality MN (C4ME-MN) initiative.

This initiative was launched in the fall of 2010 in response to renewed efforts by Archbishop John C. Nienstedt to push for a constitutional amendment banning civil marriage rights for same-sex couples. I say "renewed" because five years earlier the Minnesota Conference of Catholic Bishops, with Nienstedt, then Bishop of New Ulm, very much leading the charge, had lobbied hard for a similar amendment to the state constitution. In May of 2006, the state legislature adjourned without approving that first proposed amendment.

Most people have forgotten this victory, overshadowed as it was five years later when a similar amendment passed the legislature and was placed on the November 2012 ballot. Nienstedt, now Archbishop of St. Paul-Minneapolis, made the passing of the so-called "marriage amendment" very much a personal crusade. After almost two years of often contentious debate the "marriage amendment" was rejected by the citizens of Minnesota. I was honored to do my bit in helping defeat this amendment, both as executive coordinator of CPCSM/C4ME-MN and as editor of The Progressive Catholic Voice.

This victory in November 2012 paved the way for marriage equality legislation, which was swiftly passed in May of 2013 and signed into law by Governor Dayton on this day exactly one year ago. It took effect on August 1, 2013.

Above: Over 7,000 people gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol on May 14, 2013
to witness Governor Mark Dayton sign marriage equality legislation into law.

I started The Wild Reed in May of 2006, just as the legislative session was winding down. However, some of my early posts highlight CPCSM's role in challenging the Minnesota bishops' first attempt to enshrine discrimination into the state constitution, an attempt that dated back to early 2004.

One important document that has not been previously shared at The Wild Reed is CPCSM's official "Statement Regarding Civil Marriage for Same-Sex Couples." Released in 2004, this statement reads as follows:

The Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities (CPCSM) opposes any effort to amend either the federal or state constitution to define marriage solely as the union of a man and a woman.

Such an amendment would single out and demean gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation – one that comprises an indelible aspect of their God-given identity. This type of singling out and demeaning undermines the charity to which we are called as members of the Body of Christ.

Furthermore, such an amendment would, for the first time, enshrine discrimination into our constitution. Ultimately, it would weaken families by fanning hatred and misunderstanding. We do not believe it is prudent for public policy to construct law on the basis of ignorance, fear, and bigotry.

We thus call upon both our federal and state governments to reject such a dangerous law and to choose instead to take proactive steps so as to strengthen marriages and families in truly positive and charitable ways. Such ways include expanding pre-natal and post-natal care, increasing the minimum wage to a living wage, mandating equitable family leave policies, and extending full civil protection to all families.

Following are links to (and brief descriptions of) a number of previous Wild Reed posts that document in words and pictures the role played by Minnesota Catholics in (i) challenging the bishops' first push for a state constitutional "marriage amendment," (ii) defeating the proposed "marriage amendment" that was placed on the ballot of November 6, 2012, and (iii) educating about the issue of marriage equality, primarily by sharing the stories of LGBT Catholic couples and families.

I believe all three of these responses played an important role in the 2013 gaining of civil marriage rights, benefits and responsibilities for same-sex couples and families in Minnesota.

• Getting the Word Out

This April 17, 2007 post primarily focuses on an Indiana billboard campaign challenging Christians to re-examine their assumptions about what the Bible says about homosexuality.

At the end of this post, however, I share the text of a speech I delivered to a crowd of around 5,000 people at OutFront Minnesota's March 25, 2004 Just Fair rally. As noted above, at this time attempts were underway to pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex civil marriage and all legal equivalents – including domestic partnerships and civil unions. Those opposed to this amendment recognized it as (and thus called it) the “Minnesota Anti-Marriage Amendment.”

The following excerpt from my March 2004 speech articulates the basic rationale for CPCSM/C4ME-MN's advocacy and educational efforts for marriage equality.

From a Catholic perspective, the Minnesota Anti-Marriage Amendment is contrary to Catholic teaching on social justice. Furthermore, this amendment is completely out of step with a broad consensus among the world’s Catholic theologians who insist that gay and lesbian persons should be treated with dignity, fairness, and justice.

This same position has been endorsed by the United States Catholic Bishops in their pastoral statement entitled Always Our Children, where they write, “Respect for the God-given dignity of all persons means the recognition of human rights and responsibilities. The teachings of the Catholic Church make it clear that the fundamental human rights of homosexual persons must be defended and that all of us must strive to eliminate any forms of injustice, oppression, or violence against them.”

These are powerful statements. We believe that such statements, rooted as they are in Jesus’ call for social justice, supersede certain teachings of the Church that reflect a medieval and inadequate understanding of human sexuality – teachings that are thus unresponsive to the presence and movement of the Spirit in the lives and relationships of LGBT people.

Above: Mary Lynn Murphy, CPCSM co-founder Bill Kummer,
and Paul Fleege at the Minnesota State Capitol in the spring of 2004.

• The Bible and Homosexuality

In this November 10, 2006 post I share a St. Cloud Times commentary written by Vincent Smiles, published one year earlier in November 2005 (before the establishment of The Wild Reed.) The constitutional amendment to which Smiles refers was the one that failed to be approved by the Minnesota legislature in May of 2006.

The significance of this post to today's "celebratory look back" is that at the end of it I highlight the 2005 Minnesota Pastors Summit, an event that sought to encourage religious leaders to support the proposed “marriage amendment” of that year. The summit, held on November 10, 2005, saw the rare and unusual collaboration of Christian fundamentalists and the Catholic hierarchy in an unsavory effort to support the enshrinement of discrimination into the Minnesota state constitution.

Although both the summit and the proposed amendment were actively supported by the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis, a number of Catholic groups – including CPCSM, Dignity Twin Cities, and Catholic Rainbow Parents – played a key role in organizing a coalition of Christian churches, groups, and individuals to challenge the Pastors Summit.

In October 2005, CPCSM and Catholic Rainbow Parents initiated efforts to protest the Pastors Summit. A coalition called People of Faith for Equal Civil Marriage Rights was formed which organized a rally on November 10 outside the Pastors Summit’s venue, Grace Church in Eden Prairie. As executive coordinator of CPCSM I spoke at this protest rally.

Such organizing efforts involved the collaboration of a number of ecumenically diverse faith communities dedicated to defeating the proposed amendment. From this proactive and ecumenical dialogue and action emerged the Faith Family Fairness Alliance, of which a number of Catholic organizations and individuals were members.

• Naming and Confronting Bigotry

At the end of this 2007 post I share the October 2005 letter that the CPCSM-sponsored group Catholic Rainbow Parents sent to the priests of the archdiocese ahead of the November 10, 2005 Pastors Summit.

Following is an excerpt from this letter.

[The Pastors Summit] aims to help pastors mobilize their congregations in support of a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban all forms of legally recognized unions of same-sex couples.

The goals of this summit thus reach far beyond the parameters of sacramental marriage. They seek to deprive an entire class of human beings their equal rights to civil marriage. We think it’s important to clarify that the Church itself distinguishes between sacramental marriage (or matrimony) and civil marriage. The Church, for instance, never uses the term “Holy Marriage,” but rather “Holy Matrimony,” and when the Church does talk about the “sanctity of marriage,” it is referring to the religious or sacramental aspect of matrimony, not the civil aspect of marriage.

Furthermore, the proposed marriage amendment endorsed by the summit is not really about protecting sacramental marriage – which owing to the separation of church and state, needs no protection; it is about discriminating against families. If passed, it would deny same-sex couples and their families the 1138 protections afforded to families headed by opposite-sex couples. If passed, this amendment would mark the first time in history that the Minnesota Constitution would be amended to enshrine discrimination, rather than extend rights to people.

Does the Church lobby against civil marriage for divorced couples? Of course not. Neither should the Church lobby against civil unions for same-sex couples. . . .

Some of you have already decided not to participate in this summit and for this we applaud your conviction. To the rest, we ask that you refuse to go or if you feel you must be there, to please break the conspiracy of silence that endorses discrimination in the name of religion.

• Good News from Minnesota

In this May 26, 2006 post I report on the news that the 2005-2006 state legislature had adjourned without approving the proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and all legal equivalents. I also highlight the CPCPSM-sponsored March 20, 2006 panel discussion at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church entitled “Putting a Human Face on the Marriage Amendment Issue.”

This event was part of "Encountering God at the Crossroads of Marriage, Catholicism, and the GLBT Experience," a series of educational events that CPCSM hosted and which sought to educate Catholics on the full ramifications for GLBT people and their families of the then-proposed "marriage amendment." Our March 20, 2006 event drew a record crowd for a CPCSM-sponsored event. Previous events in this series included University of Minnesota sociology professor Kathleen Hull speaking on the evolving nature of marriage, and Simon Rosser sharing reflections on same-sex marriage from a Catholic perspective.



The following Wild Reed posts were published in "real time," meaning they focus on events that had just taken place or were taking place at the time of writing. These posts cover the period from October 2008 to August 2013.



• Same-Sex Marriage: Still Very Much on the Archbishop's Mind

Archbishop Nienstedt once again rallies the priests and deacons of the archdiocese to "fight" against same-sex marriage at the state and national level. (Note: This post reprints Paula Ruddy's October 2008 Progressive Catholic Voice article, "The Fight of Their Lives").

• A Catholic Voice for Marriage Equality at the State Capitol

A report on the October 8, 2009 media conference at the Minnesota State Capitol at which I spoke as executive coordinator of CPCSM. The event saw a number of local religious leaders speaking out in favor of marriage equality for same-sex couples. Organized by OutFront Minnesota, this media conference was billed as the “first coordinated statement by clergy specifically in support of full, legal marriage equality in Minnesota.”

In the image above right, I'm pictured with Retired Bishop Lowell Erdahl of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) and Pastor Doug Donley of University Baptist Church of Minneapolis.



• At UST, a Rousing and Very Catholic Show of Support for Marriage Equality

On April 17, 2010 300 people gathered at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN, for a CPCSM co-sponsored event that showed support for marriage equality for same-sex couples and protested the presence on campus of two high profile anti-equality activists, Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization of Marriage (NOM) and Bishop Salvatore Cordileone of Oakland, CA.



• Archbishop Nienstedt Calls (Again) for a Marriage Amendment to Minnesota's Constitution

A response to Archbishop Nienstedt's April 28, 2010 public statement of support for a constitutional amendment banning civil marriage rights for same-sex couples.




• A Message for NOM (and the Catholic Hierarchy)

Catholics participate in OutFront Minnesota's July 28, 2010 Day of Action against the "intolerance and discrimination" of the anti-gay and anti-marriage equality group known as the National Organization for Marriage (NOM).



• It's a Scandal

Minnesota bishops spend big on a misguided campaign that encourages Catholics to support enshrining discrimination against gay couples and families into the state constitution.

• What to Do with the MN Bishops' "Preserving Marriage" DVD

Not all Catholics appreciate the MN bishops' September 2010 expenditure of time, energy and money on the making and distributing of an anti-marriage equality DVD to 400,000 Catholic households.


• Local Catholics Seek to "Create Some Good Out of an Unfortunate Situation"

The founders of a newly formed group concerned about the priorities of the clerical leadership of the archdiocese, announce that for every one of the MN bishops' anti-gay marriage DVDs they receive, a donation will be made to a local homeless shelter.



• Basilica Artist-in-Residence Suspended Over "DVD to Art" Project

Basilica of St. Mary Artist-in-Residence Lucinda Naylor is suspended on September 25, 2010 after posting her intention on Facebook to turn the MN bishops' anti-gay marriage DVDs into an art project.

• Shifting the Focus to the Real Issues . . . Live on Fox News

On October 7, 2010 I appeared on Fox 9 News and shared my perspective on Archbishop Nienstedt's recent denying of communion to students at St. John's University and the College of St. Benedict in Collegeville, MN. The students were wearing buttons with messages supportive of LGBT people. Also on the show to discuss the incident was St. Thomas University professor Robert Kennedy, who supports the archbishop's actions.



• Daniel Maguire in Minneapolis

On October 21, 2010 over 300 people gathered in Minneapolis to hear theologian Daniel Maguire speak on why one can be Catholic and support marriage equality.

In the lead-up to Daniel McGuire's visit to the Twin Cities I shared a series of Wild Reed posts that featured excerpts from his book Whose Church? – A Concise Guide to Progressive Catholicism. This series starts here.



• Lucinda Naylor's "The Wave"

Images and commentary on the October 30, 2010 unveiling of Lucinda Naylor's art project, "The Wave," which uses and "repurposes" unwanted copies of the Minnesota Catholic bishops' anti-marriage equality DVDs.

• At the Cathedral of St. Paul, Rainbow Sashes and a Circle of Love

Images and commentary on the October 31, 2010 gathering of 150 people at the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St Paul in "loving opposition to the Minnesota bishops’ campaign of intolerance and discrimination against the LGBT citizens of Minnesota."



• A Catholic Statement of Support for Marriage Equality

The publishing of this statement coincided with the November 2010 launching of CPCSM's Catholics for Marriage Equality MN initiative.




• A Celebration of Faith and Family; A Call for Compassion and Fairness

OutFront Minnesota's February 10, 2011 Freedom to Marry Day, at which I spoke as executive coordinator of Catholics for Marriage Equality MN.



• Disappointing but Not Unexpected: "Marriage Amendment" Bill Passes MN Senate Judiciary Committee

In the Republican-controlled Minnesota legislature the proposed constitutional gay marriage ban is approved by a Senate committee on April 29, 2011.

• Out and About – May 2011

With approval of the "marriage amendment" almost certain by the end of the legislative session, the month of May 2011 was a very momentous one for CPCSM/C4ME-MN. Filming began on C4ME-MN's video project and at our May 2, 2011 educational event in Columbia Heights, we launched the Minnesota Catholic Campaign for Marriage Equality. The centerpiece of this campaign was a 5-Step Action Plan.

Speakers at the May 2 event included OutFront Minnesota's Legal Director Phil Duran and Hennepin County social worker Candace Mainville.

Tips on Speaking as a Catholic in Support of Marriage Equality and Against the Proposed "Marriage Amendment"

Tips and talking points compiled by David McCaffrey and I in May 2011.

Sadly, less than two months after publishing this resource, CPCSM co-founder David McCaffrey died after a short illness. He is remembered at The Wild Reed here, here, and here.



• The Real Losers at the Minnesota State Capitol Today

The Minnesota Senate approves a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage – May 11, 2011.



• At the Minnesota Capitol, Signs of the Times

Images of the many anti-amendment signs and banners at the Minnesota State Capitol on May 20, 2011.




• An Eventful Day at the Capitol

More images and commentary on the ongoing series of rallies against the proposed "marriage amendment" that took place at the Minnesota State Capitol on May 20, 2011.



• At the MN Capitol, Protests Against the Proposed Marriage Amendment Continue

Photos and commentary from May 21, 2011, as the Minnesota House prepares to vote on the proposed "marriage amendment."



• Day One of the Campaign to Defeat the 'Marriage Amendment'

Late in the evening of May 21, 2011, the Minnesota House of Representatives votes 70-62 in support of a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Voters will now decide the question in November 2012. Within hours of the vote the launching of a campaign to defeat the "anti-family marriage ban" is announced. This campaign is called Minnesotans United for All Families.

Above: The Steering Committee of Minnesotans United for All Families. As executive coordinator of Catholics for Marriage Equality MN I served on this committee. I'm pictured (perhaps appropriately enough) at far left.

• In the Struggle for Marriage Equality, MN Catholics are Making a Difference by Changing Hearts and Minds

Although the Minnesota House recently voted 70-62 to allow the citizens of Minnesota to decide whether to limit civil marriage to heterosexual couples, a number of events that took place in the lead-up to and during the House vote are a cause for hope. For instance, a number of representatives changed their votes as a result of Catholics witnessing for justice and equality for all. We believe that this bodes well for the months ahead as we turn now to encourage and inspire our fellow Minnesotans to vote "No" on the discriminatory and mean-spirited marriage amendment.

This post also documents the May 1, 2011 filming of the documentary video series Catholics for Marriage Equality.

Above: Filmmaker Aleshia Mueller (right) of Reel Nomad Productions and director Mary Kay Orman prepare to interview Brent and Lisa Vanderlinden for C4ME-MN's film series Catholics for Marriage Equality – May 1, 2011.

• Senator Scott Dibble's Message of Hope and Optimism

"We will win this fight! We’ve only just begun, and we already have so much to show for our efforts. . . ."

• Sharing the Good News of Marriage Equality at the Basilica Block Party

Members and supporters of Catholics for Marriage Equality MN distribute "I support marriage equality" stickers to attendees at the July 8-9, 2011 Basilica of St. Mary Block Party.



• Local Catholics to Premier Video Series on Faith, Family and Marriage Equality

The September 26, 2011 media release from Catholics for Marriage Equality MN.



• The Minneapolis and Online Premiere of Catholics for Marriage Equality

Images and commentary on the September 29, 2011 premiere of Catholics for Marriage Equality at Minneapolis' Riverview Theatre.




• Responding to Whiny Catholic Bishops Who Cry 'Victim'

A response to the October 5, 2011 Star Tribune op-ed by Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference of Bishops.

• Progressive Perspectives on Archbishop Nienstedt's Anti-Gay Activism

A sampling of progressive perspectives on Archbishop Nienstedt's directive to priests that they are to establish committees in their parishes to rally support for the proposed constitutional amendment banning civil marriage rights for same-sex couples.



• A Head and Heart Response to the Catholic Hierarchy's Opposition to Marriage Equality

My November 2011 op-ed, "Archbishop Just One of Many Catholic Voices in Gay Marriage Debate," which the Star Tribune declined to publish.



• Thoughts on UK Archbishop Nichols' Support for Civil Unions

A look at the UK’s top Catholic bishop's December 2011 support of gay civil unions and how this relates to the current situation in Minnesota.



• PCV Publishes Archbishop Nienstedt's Marriage Amendment Directives to Priests

Spotlighting The Progressive Catholic Voice editorial team's leaking of and response to Archbishop Nienstedt’s 'marriage amendment' directive to priests that “There ought not be open dissension on this issue.”



• What Part of Jesus' Invitation to "Be Not Afraid" Don't the Bishops Get?

A examination of the fear-mongering that fuels the Catholic hierarchy's anti-gay and anti-marriage equality activism.

• A Catholic Rationale for Opposing the 'Marriage Amendment'

My op-ed in the March 2, 2012 issue of Lavender, "Minnesota's GLBT magazine."



• Documenting the "Living Word"

Spotlighting the blogsite Sensus Fidelium's documentation of Catholics for Marriage Equality MN's series of Lenten prayer vigils at the chancery of the St. Paul-Minneapolis Archdiocese (February-April, 2012).

• From Northern Minnesota, Two Excellent Rebuttals to the "Convoluted Logic" of the Bishops' Pro-Amendment Argument

Two well-written responses to a March 21, 2012 op-ed in the Duluth News Tribune by Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference (of Bishops) and the vice chairman of Minnesota for Marriage, the official campaign supporting the so-called "Minnesota Marriage Protection Amendment."



• Palm Sunday at the Chancery

The last vigil in Catholics for Marriage Equality MN's series of Lenten vigils saw over 250 gather at the chancery on April 1, 2012.



• "Come On, Ethel, We're Leaving!"

At DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis, Archbishop Nienstedt's "marriage team" gets more than it bargained for when a number of students challenge what the team has to say about single parents, adopted kids, and gay marriage.



• Media Matters

Taking to task the Star Tribune's inadequate coverage of the full range of Catholic responses to the "marriage amendment."

• In Minnesota, Catholics Sing Their Support for Marriage Equality

Over 300 Catholics come together to record David Lohman's song "For the Children." This post includes filmmaker Matt Peiken's behind-the-scenes look at the April 28, 2012 recording session.



• Casey Michel on Archbishop Nienstedt's "Crusade Against Gay Marriage"

Excerpts from (and commentary on) Casey Michel's June 20, 2012 City Pages cover story, "Tilting at Rainbows: Archbishop John Nienstedt Crusades Against Gay Marriage."

• A Catholic Presence at Gay Pride

Images and commentary on Catholics for Marriage Equality MN's presence at the Twin Cities Gay Pride parade and festival, June 23-24, 2012.

• Catholic Q&A on the 'Marriage Amendment'

A resource that provides short, accessible answers to frequently asked questions about the Minnesota 'marriage amendment.'



• "A Thoughtful, Entertaining, and Inspiring Program"

Catholics for Marriage Equality MN's August 15, 2012 event "I Do! Believe in the Freedom to Marry" included the premiere of our "For the Children" music video.

Above: Jim Smith, C4ME-MN board member and the driving force behind the "For All the Children" music video, welcomes the over 300 attendees of the August 15 "I Do! Believe in the Freedom to Marry" event in Minneapolis' Loring Park.

• Thanking You, Archbishop

Believe it or not, an August 2012 spike in the number of requests for C4ME-MN's "Another Catholic Voting No" yard signs can be attributed to Archbishop Nienstedt.

On September 24, 2012 I was the guest on Suzanne Linton's SCCTV program Our World Today. During the course of the hour-long broadcast, four of the five 'vignettes' of C4ME-MN's Catholics for Marriage Equality video series were shown and discussed. To watch this interview, click here.

As executive coordinator of CPCSM/Catholics for Marriage Equality MN I organized the only Catholic event that opposed not only the "marriage amendment" but another amendment also on the November 6, 2012 ballot – one that would restrict voting rights. This event took place September 29, 2012 and was entitled "A Matter of Social Justice: Catholics Voting 'No' on Both Amendments." I was inspired to organize this event after reading Ricardo Levins Morales' August 10, 2012 Twin Cities Daily Planet article, "The Marriage Amendment as Decoy and How to Fight the Real Danger."

Featured speakers at C4ME-MN's September 29 event included (above from left) Eric Fought of Our Vote, Our Future; National Catholic Reporter columnist Jamie L. Manson; and Jonathan Maurer-Jones of Minnesotans United for All Families. To read Jamie L. Manson's remarks, click here.



• Into the Fray

Thoughts on resisting the"battle" metaphor while engaged in the journey to marriage equality.



• In the Eye of the Storm, A Tree of Living Flame

A personal reflection on the need to be beacons of hope, encouragement and invitation in the face of the pro-'marriage amendment' storm of negativity.



• In St. Cloud, A Prayer Vigil for Peace, Justice, Hope and Healing

Images and commentary on a very special November 4, 2012 gathering.

• Both 'Marriage Amendment' and 'Voter Photo ID Amendment' Rejected by Minnesota Voters

On November 6, 2012, Minnesota makes history by becoming the first state in the U.S. to defeat an anti-marriage equality amendment.



• Something to Celebrate

Indeed!



• Acknowledging, Celebrating, and Learning from Marriage Equality's 'Triumphs of Faith'

Images and commentary on the marriage equality "debrief" organized and hosted by the Human Rights Campaign in Washington, DC, December 3-4, 2012.



• "It'll Be Legal August 1st"

With the 'marriage amendment' defeated, momentum builds for marriage equality legislation. Senator John Marty is particularly optimistic.



• At the Minnesota State Capitol, Two Big Steps Forward for Marriage Equality

March 12, 2013 saw marriage equality legislation passed by both the Minnesota Senate Judiciary Committee (by 5-3) and the Minnesota House Civil Law Committee (by 10-7). As executive coordinator of Catholics for Marriage Equality MN, I was honored to offer testimony in support of the bill during the House Civil Law Committee hearing. I'm pictured at left with Rep. Karen Clark (DFL, District 62A), chief author of the 2013 marriage equality legislation in the Minnesota House of Representatives.



• Drawing the Circle Wide

Images and commentary on the May 8, 2013 Multi-Faith Rally for the Freedom to Marry. This event was held on the eve of the historic Minnesota House vote to grant the rights and responsibilities of civil marriage to same-sex couples. I was honored to be present representing Catholics supportive of marriage equality.



• Karen Clark's Revolutionary Act: "Daring to Believe That People Can Change Their Hearts and Minds"

A celebration of Rep. Karen Clark (DFL, District 62A), chief author of the 2013 marriage equality legislation in the Minnesota House of Representatives, the longest serving openly lesbian member to serve in a state legislature in the United States, and the recipient of CPCSM's 2004 Bishop Gumbleton Peace and Justice Award.

 

• Photo of the Day – May 13, 2013



• Marriage Equality Comes to Minnesota

Images and commentary on events at the MN Capitol on May 13, 2013 – a truly historic day.

 

• Photo of the Day – May 14, 2013



• Tongues and Souls on Fire

For many people of faith in Minnesota, the May 14, 2013 signing into law of marriage equality legislation involved a pouring forth of the Spirit of Pentecost.



• Rediscovering What Has Been Written on Our Hearts From the Very Beginning

A reflection on how a recent remark by Archbishop Nienstedt could be interpreted as encouraging us to rediscover the sacred call to seek, discern and lovingly respond to all expressions and experiences of God's transforming love – including those within the lives and relationships of gay people.



• National LGBTQ Catholic Organization Honors Role Played by Catholics and Other Faith Groups in Securing Marriage Equality in Minnesota

At DignityUSA 2013 National Convention in Minneapolis on July 4-7, 2013 State Senator Scott Dibble, State Senator Patricia Torres Ray, and I were honored for our "prophetic leadership in achieving marriage equality in Minnesota."

DignityUSA also acknowledged and honored a number of representatives from the Minnesota inter-faith community who helped defeat the 2012 'marriage amendment.'



• Let the Weddings Commence!

Images and commentary on "Married at Midnight: Minnesota's Largest Wedding Reception." This event took place in the hours leading up to and after midnight, July 31, 2013. It was at this time that civil marriage became legal for same-sex couples in Minnesota.

 

Above: Standing with six of my fellow CPCSM/Catholics for Marriage Equality MN board members at DignityUSA's National Convention in Minneapolis on the evening of July 4, 2013.

From left: Lisa Vanderlinden, Cheryl Maloney, Kathleen Olsen, Brent Vanderlinden, Mary Beckfeld, me, and Jim Smith. Two board members, Mary Kay Orman and Bob DeNardo, were unable to join us that night.


Related Off-site Links:
A Look Back at 10 Years of Gay Marriage Victories in the U.S. – Denise Lavoie (Associated Press via HuffPost Gay Voices, May 16, 2014).
"This is the Living Word" – Sensus Fidelium (March 28, 2012).
Voting No and No: A Catholic Perspective – Jamie L. Manson (Sensus Fidelium, October 25, 2012).
Why Do So Many Catholics Support Marriage Equality? Blame the Catholic Imagination – Jamie L. Manson (National Catholic Reporter, October 10, 2012).

UPDATE: 10 Incredible Improvements for LGBT People Since Gay Marriages Began 10 Years Ago – James Nichols (HuffPost Gay Voices, May 17, 2014).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Catholic Attitudes on Gay and Lesbian Issues: An Overview
Jonathan Capehart: "Catholics Lead the Way on Same-Sex Marriage"
Patrick Hornbeck on Why Good Catholics Are Challenging Church Line on Homosexuality
A Catholic Understanding of Faithful Dissent (Part 1)
A Catholic Understanding of Faithful Dissent (Part 2)
Responding to Bishop Tobin's Remarks on Gay Marriage
Marriage: "Part of What is Best in Human Nature"