Quote (and Reality Check) of the Day

Above: Yayo Grassi (left), an openly gay man, and his partner, Iwan, greet Pope Francis with a warm hug at the Vatican Embassy in Wasington, D.C, on September 23, 2015. (Image: A screen-cap from a video of the meeting)

Let's be clear: the pope did not "meet" Kim Davis, any more than he "met" dozens of LGBT activists at the White House. They were in a large crowd on the White House lawn – but it was nevertheless a PR coup for our side. [Similarly, Kim Davis] was one in a long line of people, who got no personal message at all – but a PR coup for their side. Score tied.

On the other hand, it's now been confirmed that one of the private meetings that did take place, but was very properly kept private, was a face to face meeting requested by Pope Francis himself, with a gay man who has been in a committed same-sex relationship for 19 years. That was not spun for PR advantage, as the purpose of the meeting was entirely personal and pastoral. However, we now know that it did take place, at Francis' request, and that surely trumps all the PR spin from either side.

– Terence Weldon

(via Facebook)

Related Off-site Links:
Pope Held Private Meeting with Same-Sex Couple in U.S. – Daniel Burke (CNN, October 2, 2015).
Before Kim Davis, the Pope Hung Out With a Gay Couple – Emma Green (The Atlantic, October 2, 2015).
News Flash: Pope Met Gay Friend While on American Tour – William D. Lindsel (Bilgrimage, October 2, 2015).
How the Outrage Over the Pope's Kim Davis Meeting May Have Paid Off in a Big Way – Michelangelo Signorile (HuffPost Gay Voices, October 2, 2015).
The Vatican's Internal Fight Over Kim Davis and the Pope – Emma Gree (The Atlantic, October 2, 2015).
Vatican: Pope Did Not Show Support for Kim Davis – Stephanie Kirchgaessner (NPR News, October 2, 2015).
The Real Story Behind the Pope's Meeting with Kim Davis – Amy Sullivan (Yahoo! News, October 2, 2015).
With Whom the Pope Meets... – Questions from a Ewe (October 3, 2015).

UPDATES: Gay Former Student of Pope Francis' Speaks Out – Jessica Gresko (Associated Press via Yahoo! News, October 4, 2015).
Pope "Not Afraid to Have a Gay Friend," Says Former Student – Trudy Ring (The Advocate, October 5, 2015).
Pope’s Gay Friend Speaks Out – Lou Chibbaro Jr. (The Washington Blade, October 7, 2015).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• DignityUSA Responds to News of Meeting Between Pope Francis and Kim Davis
• Pope Francis in the U.S.

Quote of the Day

Ever since the 2014 Family Synod, some Catholic bishops (and Pope Francis himself) have expressed criticism of what they refer to as “gender ideology,” by which they seem to mean gender theory. Gender theory, however, is not by any stretch an “ideology,” but a sound academic attempt to understand the complexities of gender as encountered in the real world. The only “ideology” I’m aware of about gender is that espoused in Vatican doctrine, which reduces everything to a simplistic binary; everyone is either male or female, with distinctive roles appropriate to each; and that our primary social purpose is to find a suitable mate of the opposite gender, marry, and produce offspring. This is simplistic, patent nonsense, which should be obvious to anyone who simply observes the reality outside the lens of what is fondly believed to be the “traditional” family structure. There are many societies around the world in which traditional family structures recognized more than two genders. The hijra of South Asia are one example of a socially recognised third gender, now being recognised in government documents in some countries. Some Native American societies recognized even more than three genders.

– Terry Weldon
Excerpted from "Binary 'Gender Ideology' Refuted:
The Complexities of Gender"
Queering the Church
August 20, 2015

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Quote of the Day – June 12, 2015
• Lisa Leff on Five Things to Know About Transgender People
• North America: Perhaps Once the "Queerest Continent on the Planet"

Related Off-site Links:
What is Gender? OR Why the Term is Both Meaningless and Indispensable – Anna Magdalena (The Catholic Transgender, August 16, 2015).
Transgender and Catholic – Nick Stevens (The New York Times via The Progressive Catholic Voice, May 24, 2015).
Beyond Male and Female: Gender Trouble, Biology Trouble – Terry Weldon (Queering the Church, September 25, 2011).
Sub Secretum – Jacqueline White (The Progressive Catholic Voice, January 19, 2009).

LGBT Catholics Respond to Synod 2014's Final Report

A compilation of quotes and links to articles and commentaries about the final report of the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, also known as the Synod on the Family.

UPDATED 10/29/14

The respectful language of the midterm report is gone. A return to what we've heard for decades will dishearten LGBT people, same-sex couples, and our families.

What we saw through the Synod process is that there are deep divisions in what the Catholics bishops think about LGBT people, even at the highest levels of leadership. Unfortunately, today, doctrine won out over pastoral need. It is disappointing that those who recognized the need for a more inclusive Church were defeated.

However, we now know there are many bishops who believe in a more welcoming approach to LGBT people, and that they are finally drawing closer to the majority of Catholics who strongly support LGBT people. We anticipate that significant dialogue and debate at all levels of the Church will continue for the year leading up to the Synod in October 2015.

In the meantime, as this just-concluded Synod has shown, the words and actions of Church leaders matter deeply and impact LGBT people and our families every day. Whether a bishop stands against a law criminalizing homosexuality, whether a Church employee in a same-sex marriage can keep her job, whether an LGBT high school student is bullied — all of these things flow from what the Church teaches.

DignityUSA remains committed to the truth that LGBT people are beloved children of God and deserve full inclusion in our Church and society. We intend to be fully involved in discussions leading up to the full Synod.

– Marianne Duddy-Burke
Executive Director of DignityUSA
"LGBT Catholics Disappointed by Final Synod Report"
October 18, 2014

The synod's final report significantly backtracks on LGBT issues from the draft released earlier this week, but the synod’s process and openness to discussion provides hope for further development down the road, particularly at next year’s synod, where the make-up of the participants will be larger and more diverse, including many more pastorally-oriented bishops.

It's very disappointing that the Synod's final report did not retain the gracious welcome to lesbian and gay people that the draft of the report included. Instead, the bishops have taken a narrow view of pastoral care by defining it simply as opposition to marriage for same-gender couples. Additionally, their further comment about supposed "international pressure" to accept same-gender marriage selfishly views the hierarchy as the victims, not LGBT people who receive unjust and oppressive treatment by governments, church, families, and society.

. . . It’s important, however, to keep two things in mind. First, the paragraphs on homosexuality which did not receive the required 2/3rds vote, and which were more welcoming of LGBT people, failed by only a handful of votes, indicating significant support from a majority of bishops. Second, this report is not the final word, but as a Vatican spokesperson explained, it is still a working document which will be discussed in the coming year.

What was good about this two-week long meeting? The real value of this synod is that it has started the discussion among the hierarchy on LGBT issues which has been going on for decades among the lay people and theologians in the Church. The bishops began to catch up, and I don’t think that the discussion will stop here, but will only continue, with more promising outcomes for LGBT people and their families in the future.

. . . [T]his synod revealed that there are some strong voices for LGBT equality and for change in church teaching, something which was not known clearly before the meeting. Now that these voices have been bold enough to speak, more bishops who think like them will surely follow their example. The biggest problem in the Church up to this point has not been lack of support among the hierarchy on LGBT issues, but lack of courage for those bishops to speak out what they truly think. The silence has ended. Nothing will be the same.

– Francis DeBernardo
Executive Director of New Ways Ministry
Excerpted from "Synod Final Report Disappoints,
But Significant Progress Is Made In the Process"
Bondings 2.0
October 18, 2014

Many of the reports on the “final” synod document . . . have focused on claims that this is somehow a victory for the conservatives, or a defeat for Pope Francis. Both are completely unjustified.

One clue to why this is so, is in this useful information about the synod posted in the Changing Attitude facebook group by Johan Bergström-Allen: ". . . Very good BBC interview with Cardinal Vincent Nichols . . . who reveals that some of the 72 Synod delegates in Rome who voted against the “welcome to gay people” wording in the final document (with 118 in favour) did so because it either went too far or not far enough. Vincent says he can’t remember how he voted (there were 60 votes in under an hour), but that – reflecting the policy in his own diocese of Westminster – he felt the wording didn’t go far enough, because the key words “welcome”, “respect” and “value” were missing. The cardinal hopes the next stage of the Synod will encourage a more welcoming attitude to LGBT people. Let’s hope the Synod process moves forward with discernment, honest discussion, and a Christ-like passion for pastoral care. God bless Cardinal Vincent for his compassion and balance, and God bless Pope Francis for his wisdom, his collegiality, and his caring heart."

. . . Also worth noting, is that approval for the final text was not based on simple majority vote, but required a two–thirds majority. Reports elsewhere have suggested that on some of the more welcoming passages that were left out of the final text, did in fact have the support of the majority, but just not enough to get to two thirds. Also important, just as words of support were excluded from the bland final document, so too were the harsher words that were proposed by the reactionaries. There were no “winners” or “losers” in this, other than a clear win for open and frank discussion – a major step forward for the Catholic Church.

– Terence Weldon

Excerpted from "Synod: So, Who 'Won'?"
Queering the Church
October 19, 2014

Venerable fathers of my Roman Catholic church: you may, if you wish, continue to talk until you are blue in the face about who's worthy to sit at your table. But no matter how long you talk, I will continue to believe that it's God who makes the final decision about who will sit at the table that belongs to God, and not to you. I will continue to believe that all God's children are going to sit at the welcome table one of these days.

And, yes, I'm going to tell God how you've treated me — though I intend to plead with Her not to deal with you as cruelly and mercilessly as you have dealt with me. Because no human being deserves such treatment, and certainly not by those who imagine they are the final judges and arbiters of who may sit at the table that belongs to God alone.

– William D. Lindsey
Excerpted from "I'm Going to Sit at the Welcome Table One of These Days:
A Sunday Sermon "
Bilgrimage
October 19, 2014

The synod’s final report backtracked on key issues around admitting divorced and remarried Catholics to the eucharist, and more LGBT-friendly pastoral strategies. Fear had overcome courage and rigidity had strangled the rights of conscientious dissent with regard to church teachings – which were not primary-level doctrines anyway.

“LGBT Catholics! Why don’t they just pack their bags and leave?” some ask. The reason we stay is because our baptism gives us rights, enshrined in church law, as well as responsibilities to inform our pastors of all that builds us up as mature believers, integrating our sexuality, gender and personality as the glory of God in the human person, fully alive. “But you’re trying to change church doctrine!” our opponents state, from inside and outside the Catholic stable.

Enter Pope Francis, not in the autocratic style of some popes, but seeking to change pastoral practice and attitudes. His Latin American experience reflects a different approach to doctrine. He starts from where people are, and develops solidarity – particularly with those whom he sees as alienated or marginalised, whether from church or society. Out of this orthopraxis – consistent action – there is a possibility of developing a rooted theological reflection, orthodoxy – consistent teaching. Such action invigorates reflection, and vice versa. Hence he has strongly insisted on more inclusive practices within the church, rather than starting from abstract dogmas and attempting to impose them on an unreceptive community.

– Martin Pendergast
Excerpted from "Progressive Catholics Still Have Faith in Pope Francis' Vision"
The Guardian
October 20, 2014

This report is not the final word, but as a Vatican spokesperson explained, it is still a working document which will be discussed in the coming year. We now call upon the Vatican and local Bishops’ Conferences to institute Listening Processes over the coming year, to include LGBT people, parents, and other family members, alongside theologians and experienced pastoral ministers. . . . Pope Francis has placed these issues on the table, and all the signs are that his action is irreversible, given the strong statements made in his closing speech to the Synod. If, as on a range of matters held to be controversial by some sections of the hierarchy, there is a move to a more open and listening pastoral practice then this could lead to the development of a richer theology of human sexuality, and a more credible and human face of the Church. In this way we can become credible disciples, witnessing to the joy of the Gospel with which the Pope constantly challenges us.

– LGBT Catholics Westminster Pastoral Council
October 18, 2014

As it turned out, the final wording was pretty much the same old same old: deeply entrenched anti-body, anti-women ideas that give institutional Catholicism its well-deserved reputation as an unwelcome place for all but the most rigidly observant. . . . Initial statements and the first report contained some very promising possibilities. Then the jousting started as blustering bishops panicked at the slightest suggestion that new ideas would gain traction. What survived the onslaught were “timeless truths” about how to exclude people who experience disastrous marriages. Words of welcome and mercy were replaced with tiresome, offensive repetitions of old teachings on same-sex loving people. Such efforts to micromanage the morals of others find scant welcome in contemporary society.

The voting men were ostensibly horrified by the notion that same-sex couples might have any redeeming features, or that there might be “charity in its caring…” rather than “weakening of its faith…” (par. 46 of the early draft) if divorced and remarried people receive communion. Dear God, what crumbs they quibble over and fall on their croziers to defend. Have they missed the fact that the worldwide pedophilia crimes and cover-up on their watch have left them without a fig leaf of credibility? No wonder no one looks to them to be helpful about the moral issues at stake in Ebola, terrorism, or environmental threats.

– Mary E. Hunt
Excerpted from "Church Synod Recap: Micromanaging the Morals of Others"
Religion Dispatches
October 27, 2014

Both John Paul II and Benedict XVI would have excised [the Synod's discussion on] the outreach to gay people altogether. And the idea of a transparent vote tally – revealing a vigorous internal division on these questions – would have been unthinkable.

The true headline of this past remarkable week is therefore: the Vatican hierarchy cannot find a consensus on the question of pastoral care for gays, the divorced and the re-married, and the Pope is happy for this fact to be very, very public. These remain open questions for a year of continued debate and discussion before the second stage of the Synod this time next year and the Pope’s subsequent summary. That these are open questions is the real result of this Synod.

– Andrew Sullivan
Excerpted from "Two Steps Forward, One Step Back"
The Dish
October 19, 2014

J.R.R. Tolkien once reminded us that "not all those who wander are lost." I would argue that if anyone needs guidance at this point in history, it is the bishops who need to be shepherded by the laity.

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. The synod document suggests that the bishops aren't ready to treat the faithful like the mature adults they've become.

Francis wants the bishops to love us, guide us, and be merciful to us. But do any of these bishops want to hear the truths that Catholic laypeople have discerned and discovered in their own theological reflections on their lives? Or do they simply want to continue to treat laypeople who live in "imperfect" relationships (that is, the vast majority of Catholics) as misguided children in need of a parent or teacher?

One of the unfortunate repercussions of having a popular pope is that the conversation about the empowerment of the laity seems to have taken a backseat. On issues related to sexuality and the family, the voice of the laity, in all of its diversity, could not be more crucial.

– Jamie L. Manson
Excerpted from "Synod on the Family Proves That Father Still Knows Best"
National Catholic Reporter
October 29, 2014

Updates and Recommended Off-site Links:
Pope Francis and Gays Will Win by Losing This Round on Synod Draft — Jonathan Capehart (The Washington Post, October 20, 2014).
Pope Francis’ Talk on Gays Moves Catholic Church Into Modern Era — and Out of 17th Century – Mike Lupica (New York Daily News, October 19, 2014).
Vatican Call for Church to Welcome Gay People Did Not Go "Far Enough" Says Cardinal Vincent Nichols – John Bingham and Andrea Vogt (The Telegraph, October 19, 2014).
How Catholic Synod on Gays Made History, Even With 'Disappointing' End – Mark Sappenfield (Christian Science Monitor, October 19, 2014).
Pope: "God Is Not Afraid of New Things" – Philip Pullella (Reuters via HuffPost Religion, October 19, 2014).
Vatican Bishops Scrap Opening to Gays and Divorced Members – Scott Neuman (NPR News, October 18, 2014).
Bishops Scrap Welcome to Gays in Sign of Split – Nicole Winfield and Daniela Petroff (Associated Press via Yahoo! News, October 18, 2014).
Catholic Synod: Pope Francis Setback on Gay Policy – James Reynolds (BBC News, October 18, 2014).
Synod Report Narrows Open Tone, Pope Calls for Middle Path – Joshua J. McElwee (National Catholic Reporter, October 18, 2014).
The Vatican Cancels Its Earthquake. This is Not Pope Francis’ Finest Hour – Damian Thompson (The Spectator, October 18, 2014).
Synod A Win for Francis and for Openness – Thomas Reese (National Catholic Reporter, October 18, 2014).
Five Things the Synod Just Did – James Martin, SJ (Commonweal, October 18, 2014).
The Backlash Mounts Against Francis – Andrew Sullivan (The Dish, October 17, 2014).
Conservative Bishops Get “Different Translation” Dialing Back Language on LGBT Acceptance – Patricia Miller (Religion Dispatches, October 17, 2014).
Overwhelming 85% of Young American Catholics Support Gays and Lesbians – Carol Kuruvilla (The Huffington Post, October 17, 2014).
“Gradualism” and the Inevitability of Doctrinal Change – Terence Weldon (Queering the Church, October 15, 2014).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• On the Feast of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus, Thoughts on Marriage Equality in the U.S. and the Vatican's Synod on the Family
• Breaking News – October 13, 2014
• Quote of the Day – October 14, 2014)
• Beyond the Hierarchy: The Blossoming of Liberating Catholic Insights on Sexuality

Quote of the Day

Read in conjunction with the recent document by the International Theological Commission on interpreting the sensus fidelium, the attitude [of the bishops as expressed in their recent instrumentum laboris] seems to be, if Catholics disagree with Church teaching, it’s because they don’t understand it. A more reasonable conclusion, would be that if people in real-world loving relationships don’t agree with church teaching, it’s because celibate bishops and theologians don’t understand sexuality, relationships or marriage.

– Terence Weldon
"Bishops’ Depressing Document on Marriage: Glimmers of Hope"
Queering the Church
June 27, 2014

UPDATES:
Catholic LGBT Advocates Respond to ‘Disappointing’ Synod Working Paper – Bob Shine (Bondings 2.0, June 29, 2014).
Church Leaders' Condescension An Affront to Catholic Laity's Intelligence – Kelly Stewart (National Catholic Reporter, June 30, 2014).


Related Off-site Links:
Synod Document is First, Not Last, Word on Marriage and Family Issues – Francis DeBernardo (Bondings 2.0, June 27, 2014).
Synod Working Paper is Boring and Joyless – Thomas Reese (National Catholic Reporter, June 27, 2014).
Vatican Document's “Value of the Family” Applicable to ALL Families – Terence Weldon (Queering the Church, June 27, 2014).
Vatican Document for Synod on Family Balances Mercy and Cultural Blame – Joshua J. McElwee (National Catholic Reporter, June 26, 2014).
Vatican Admits Most Catholics Reject Its Teachings on Sex – Nicole Winfield (Associated Press via HuffPost Religion, June 27, 2014).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
"If the People Don't Believe It, It's Not True"
A Clerical Leadership Unresponsive to Voices of Reason
Stop in the Name of Discriminatory Ideology!
Will We See Change?
The Catholic Challenge
A Time to Re-think the Basis and Repair the Damage
Roger Haight on the Church We Need
Quote of the Day – April 14, 2010
Paul Lakeland in Minneapolis
A Church That Can and Cannot Change
Robert McClory on Humanae Vitae
Rosemary Haughton and the "True Catholic Enterprise"
James Carroll on Catholic Understandings of Truth (Part 1)
James Carroll on Catholic Understandings of Truth (Part 2)
James Carroll on Catholic Understandings of Truth (Part 3)
James Carroll on Catholic Understandings of Truth (Part 4)
Getting It Right
God is Love

Quote of the Day

We must never forget that while the countries outside of Europe and Northern America appear to be “behind” the rest of the world in LGBT equality, this is deceptive. It was the European missionaries and colonial authorities that introduced homophobia and criminal penalties for behaviour that is entirely natural and non–pathological. In recent times, it’s been some groups of Western evangelical Christians that have been inciting intolerance in Africa, and in Russia. But outside the three monotheistic religions, other world religions in their original forms were indifferent or supportive of sexual and gender diversity, and of the only eight countries that have never criminalized homosexuality, all are in Africa.

– Terence Weldon

Related Offsite Links:
How White American Evangelicals Exploit African Homophobia – Rev. Irene Monroe (L.A. Progressive, March 1, 2014).
The Idea That African Homosexuality Was a Colonial Import is a Falsehood – Bernardine Evaristo (The Guardian, March 8, 2014).
Uganda, the World Bank, and LGBT Rights: Winners and Losers – A Paper Bird: Sex, Rights, and the World (March 10, 2014).
Why Africa is the Most Homophobic Continent – David Smith (The Guardian, February 22, 2014).
Quiet Diplomacy Faulted for Africa's Anti-Gay Laws – Robbie Corey-Boulet and Rodney Muhumuza (Associated Press via Yahoo! News, February 20, 2014).
Uganda’s Passage of Anti-Gay Law Should Compel Pope Francis to Speak Out – Bob Shine (Bondings 2.0, February 25, 2014).
How US Evangelicals Helped Create Russia's Anti-Gay Movement – Hannah Levintova (Mother Jones, February 21, 2014).
US Evangelicals: A Case Against Their "Innocence" – Darnell Moore (Religion Dispatches, March 10, 2014).
Christians Are a Cause of LGBT Oppression So We Have to Be Part of the Liberation – Paul Brandeis Raushenbush (HuffPost Religion, February 16, 2014).
Like It or Not, Organized Religion Still Has a Role to Play in LGBT Movements – Elizabeth Segran (Salon, March 11, 2014).
Catholics Must Act Against Anti-Gay Laws in Nigeria and Elsewhere – Bob Shine (Bondings 2.0, March 7, 2014).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
From Autoheart to Moscow, with Love
A Christmas Message of Hope from Uganda
Something to Think About – December 8, 2011
North America: Perhaps Once the "Queerest Continent on the Planet"
Quote of the Day – November 12, 2011
In Uganda, a “Fearless Voice” for Gay Rights is Brutally Silenced
The Scourge of Homophobia in Economically Impoverished Countries
To Be Gay in Iraq is to Be a “Defenseless Target”
A Prayer for International Day Against Homophobia

Image: Outside the Uganda High Commission in Nairobi on February 10, 2014, Kenyan gays and lesbians and others supporting their cause wear masks to preserve their anonymity as they stage a rare protest, against Uganda's increasingly hardline stance against homosexuality and in solidarity with their counterparts there. (Image: API)

Nelson Mandela and the Rainbow Connection

.

For LGBT people around the world, the rainbow is celebrated as a symbol of sexual and gender diversity. South Africans adopted it with the end of institutional apartheid, to describe themselves as the “rainbow nation”, celebrating ethnic and linguistic diversity.

In his life and legacy, Nelson Mandela showed us that freedom and human rights are indeed, indivisible . . . Just as Mandela refused to limit his own support for justice to just one sphere, of racial equality, so we too must always remember that our struggle for full LGBT equality and inclusion in church and in the secular world must not be at the expense of other marginalised and excluded people.

We must learn from his own example of outreach and forgiveness, to work without resentment with those who have opposed us, making them partners, not enemies . . . We must remain always optimistic that in the end, justice will prevail . . . And above all, love is more powerful than hate. No one is born hating other races – and nor is anyone born hating sexual or gender minorities.

– Terence Weldon

"Nelson Mandela – Queer Icon for a Rainbow Nation"
Queering the Church
December 6, 2013

Related Off-site Links:
The Moral Courage of Nelson Mandela – Desmond Tutu (The Washington Post, December 5, 2013).
Remembering Nelson Mandela: From Freedom Fighter to Political Prisoner to South African President – Democracy Now! (December 6, 2013).
Sanitizing Mandela: 12 Mandela Quotes That Won't Be In the Corporate Media Obituaries – CommonDreams.org (December 6, 2013).
Dear Revisionists, Mandela Will Never, Ever Be Your Minstrel – Musa Okwonga (Okwonga.com, December 6, 2013).
The Right Wing’s Campaign to Discredit and Undermine Mandela, in One Timeline – Igor Volsky and Zack Beauchamp (ThinkProgress.org, December 6, 2013).
Mandela, A Life of Struggle: The History Most Mainstream Obits Omit – Derrick O'Keefe and Jahanzeb Hussain (CommonDreams.org, December 6, 2013).
Don't Sanitize Nelson Mandela – Peter Beinart (The Daily Beast, December 5, 2013).
Friends of the Earth South Africa Reflects on the Life of Nelson Mandela – Bobby Peek (Friends of the Earth, December 6, 2013).
Randall Robinson on Nelson Mandela, U.S. Backing of the Apartheid Regime, and the Success of the Sanctions Movement – Democracy Now! (December 6, 2013).
Pope Honors Mandela for "Forging a New South Africa" – AFP via Yahoo! News (December 6, 2013).

Image: Patrice Murciano

Pope Francis' Understanding of Catholicism: An Orchestra in Which All Can Play!

When I was a little boy growing up in Australia, my introduction to an orchestra was through two things. The first was the Little Golden Book, Animal Orchestra. I loved all the different animals in this orchestra and how they all played so happily together!

The second thing that introduced me to the idea (and actually sounds) of an orchestra was a 45 rpm recording of Danny Kaye's Tubby the Tuba. It's quite a sad little tale at first, as poor Tubby never feels as though he's really listened to or appreciated for who he is by his orchestra. He longs for a melody of his own but is constantly told by the other orchestra members that that's simply not possible.

Then one day a friendly bullfrog helps Tubby get in touch with his own special melody. The next day a kind conductor allows Tubby to play it. The hearts and minds of the other orchestra members are opened and soon they are all playing along. The result is something harmonious, beautiful and new. (But, hey, don't just take my word for it. You can hear for yourself the recording of Tubby the Tuba that my brothers and I listened to by clicking here!).


The pope's orchestra

I was reminded of both Animal Orchestra and Tubby's story when I recently read a commentary by Terence Weldon at his always informative and insightful blog, Queering the Church. In this particular post, Terence shares his thoughts on a Vatican Information Service report on Pope Francis' October 9 general audience address. The pope's central message in this address is that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are eroded by the pursuit of uniformity. Following, with a couple of additional links, is what Terence has to say about this . . .

If the Catholic right has already been surprised by our new pope, following remarks during his in – flight press conference in July, confused by his long September interview with Jesuit magazines, in a state of panic at the thought of the planned extraordinary synod on the family, how will they respond to this?

As part of the catechesis in a general audience, Wednesday October 9th, Pope Francis flatly contradicted a central tenet dearly held by what I think of as rabidly orthotoxic Catholics – those who are convinced that the deposit of faith is precisely defined (in terms exactly matching their own understanding, especially of all matters sexual), that all true Catholics are required to believe and follow absolutely every detail of this deposit as specified in the Catechism, and presented by the Vatican, and that failing to follow these rules, endangers one’s hopes of eternal salvation – and that questioning their validity counts as heresy. For that reason, they believe, it is their solemn religious obligation to correct and rebuke those who differ in their opinions from their own, deeming such rebukes an act of mercy, saving their miserable souls from damnation.

This view of course, ignores the facts, that embedded in the Catechism itself, and in numerous Vatican documents, are numerous references that contradict this narrow view. There is explicit recognition of the importance of conscience, not all elements of teaching are of the same level of importance, and not all require the same degree of assent. A close reading of the Catechism, furthermore, exposes elements that are self – contradictory (especially on matters of human sexuality). In effect, it is impossible for every Catholic to follow meticulously every line of the Catechism, every detail of every Vatican decree, or for every Catholic to interpret and apply these in the same way, as orthotoxic Catholics expect.

So what will they make of the pope’s very clear statement that their expected uniformity, of practice and belief, is simply NOT a mark of Catholicism, after all? Instead, in describing three meanings of the term “Catholic”, he gave the third as inclusive of diversity. Elaborating, he used the image of a symphony orchestra, in which different notes and tone colours of the many different instruments combine in glorious harmony. The challenge for the right is acute: for them it is an article of faith that the pope, guided by God, must be right – so what are they to make of papal pronouncements that contradict their central conviction that Catholicism requires absolute conformity? Or that their own desire to impose uniformity “erodes the gifts of the Holy Spirit”?

It is not clear from the Vatican Information Service report exactly what characteristics he was referring to, but it is likely that he was thinking in terms of practice and belief, rather than demographics – where many measures of diversity are self-evident. LGBT Catholics however, can reasonably take these words to heart as including sexual, gender and family diversity – and certainly, applicable to diversity of interpretation, on Catholic sexual theology.

What Terence says reminds me of the insights of historian Gary Macy, insights I've previously shared at The Wild Reed. Basically, Macy, in his book, Treasures from the Storeroom: Medieval Religion and the Eucharist, reveals the long-held theology within the Church that recognizes and celebrates “each generation of Christians as equally graced by God, each striving to fulfill God’s will as they understand it. Each generation failing, misunderstanding, or succeeding as much as we do [today].”

“If this theological approach is correct,” says Macy, “then the past seems not so much a simple path leading (how reassuring!) right to our doorstep, but rather many paths attempting to find their way to God. Perhaps not surprisingly, seen from this perspective, the past may well be more tolerant of diversity than some scholars have led us to believe.”


Diversity: Our true tradition

According to Macy, “the discovery of such diversity suggests two theological conclusions. First . . . is the well-founded belief that our true tradition is diversity itself.”

“To be tolerant is a substantial part of our better Christian heritage,” insists Macy. Furthermore, “If there was diversity in the past, and that diversity was tolerated, then the best way to truly honor the past is to foster such diversity in the present.”

“Secondly,” continues Macy, “this understanding of the history of Christianity frees us in the present from a tremendous burden. If the past did not lead ineffably to us, then the future does not absolutely depend upon us ‘getting it right’ either (whatever that might mean to different groups). We are surely called to do and live by, to the best of our ability, what we determine to be God’s will (just as those in the past were supposed to do).”

Macy also notes that “in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, a truly autocratic notion of Church was propagated with great success and then read back into the rest of Christian Catholic history. [In the] twenty-first century we are still wrestling with this terrifically successful campaign of misinformation.”

Here in the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minnesota we have an archbishop, John Nienstedt, very much committed to this “autocratic notion of Church.” The previous pope encouraged such a notion. Not so Francis. Were does that leave prelates like Nienstedt? One thing's for sure, he's still very much opposed to dialogue and diversity. Yet what is the theological basis for such opposition? It’s certainly not reflected in the example of Pope Francis, nor is it to be found in the theology of our forebears, who, as Macy documents, embraced a theological tradition which recognized “each generation of Christians [as being] equally graced by God, [and] striving to fulfill God’s will as they understand it.”

No, the theology that Archbishop Nienstedt and other so-called "traditionalists" embrace is far more narrow, prescriptive, and authoritarian. Macy describes it as the ‘Big Book of Doctrine’ school of theology.

“This strange form of authoritarianism,” says Macy when describing this particular school of theology, “fomented both by the ultra-montanism of the late nineteenth-century papacy and by Enlightenment anti-clericalism, understands Roman Catholicism as fundamentally an attempt to provide the definitive answers to all questions, usually in one ‘big book of doctrine,’ whether it be Thomas’s Summa, Denzinger’s Enchiridion, or lately the Roman Catechism of the Universal Church.”

Of course, I'm well aware that the church is nowhere near as accepting of diversity, and thus the gifts of all, regardless of gender and sexual orientation, as I'd like it to be. But I continue to be pleasantly astounded at how much of what Pope Francis says and does moves things in the right direction.


Related Off-site Links:
From Today's Office: Doctrinal Development is Inevitable – Terence Weldon (Queering the Church, October 11, 2013).
The Pope's Radical Whisper – Frank Bruni (New York Times via The Progressive Catholic Voice, September 22, 2013).
Pope Francis Breathes New Life Into Bernardin's Contested Legacy – David Gibson (Religion News Service via National Catholic Reporter, October 26, 2013).
Conservative Catholics Question Pope Francis' Approach – Michelle Boorstein and Elizabeth Tenety (The Washington Post via The Progressive Catholic Voice, October 15, 2013).
With New Pope, a More Open Church? – Michael O’Loughlin (Religion and Politics, October 15, 2013).
Casual Pope Puts Vatican on Alert with Quips – Nicole Winfield (Associated Press via Yahoo! News, October 9, 2013).
A Big Heart Open to God: An Exclusive Interview with Pope Francis – Antonio Spadaro, S.J. (America, September 30, 2013).
The Pope: How the Church Will Change – Eugenio Scalfari (La Repubblica, October 1, 2013).
Dueling Worldviews – Paula Ruddy (The Progressive Catholic Voice, August 19, 2013).
Pope Francis is Unsettling – and Dividing – the Catholic Right – David Gibson (Religion News Service, August 6, 2013).
It's Time for Real Authority for Women in the Church – Editorial Staff (National Catholic Reporter, October 5, 2013).
The Wounds Will Not Heal If the Teachings Remain the Same – Jamie Manson (National Catholic Reporter, September 25, 2013).

Quote of the Day

It is simply not true that “the Catholic Church” is hostile to LGBT people. Instead, we have a church with a split personality. On the one hand, a handful of unrepresentative, unelected bishops with no personal experience of loving, sexual relationships, formulating responses based on abstract theological formulae. These are the ones making the headlines. On the other, ordinary Catholics representing the real Church, who know from experience in their own families, the importance of inclusions and authentic respect for all.

– Terence Weldon

"Measuring the Bishops' Disconnect on Same-Sex Relationships"
Queering the Church
June 29, 2013

Recommended Off-site Link:
Homosexual Relationships: Another Look – Bill Hunt (The Progressive Catholic Voice, September 8, 2012).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts
Catholic Attitudes on Gay and Lesbian Issues: An Overview
Quote of the Day – June 26, 2013
A Head and Heart Response to the Catholic Hierarchy's Opposition to Marriage Equality
Responding to Bishop Tobin's Remarks on Gay Marriage
Jonathan Capehart: "Catholics Lead the Way on Same-Sex Marriage"
Rediscovering What Has Been Written on Our Hearts from the Very Beginning
Quote of the Day – July 5, 2013

Quote of the Day

The core problem with Catholic bishops’ pronouncements on gay marriage, and on human sexuality more generally, is that they are usually based entirely on speculation and supposition, made with little or no recourse to evidence – and none at all to the real-life experience of loving, committed sexual relationships, of which they have none themselves.

That is why it is so important that those of us who do have such experience, and some understanding of these relationships illuminated by more than dusty theological manuals from the medieval theologians and the Council of Trent, should speak up and speak truth to power, whenever and however we can.

– Terence Weldon
"Bishops Warn of 'The Consequences of Gay Marriage.' Why?"
Queering the Church
May 20, 2013

Related Off-site Links:
Same-Sex Marriage Leaves the Bishops Behind – Diarmaid MacCulloch (New York Times, June 14, 2013).
Is Pope Francis Waving a White Flag on Gay Marriage? – Michelangelo Signorile (The Huffington Post, June 14, 2013).
The Pope's Gay Panic – Frank Bruni (New York Times, June 15, 2013).
Is Pope Francis Ramping Up Gay Marriage Critique? – Steve Scherer (Reuters via The Huffington Post, June 15, 2013).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Marriage: "Part of What is Best in Human Nature"
Rediscovering What Has Been Written on Our Hearts from the Very Beginning
Quote of the Day – November 19, 2012
Quote of the Day – March 14, 2012
Quote of the Day – July 18, 2011
Good News on the Road to Emmaus
The Many Manifestations of God's Loving Embrace
Gay Men in the Vatican Are Giving the Rest of Us a Bad Name
What the Vatican Can Learn from the X-Men
God Weighs In on the Gay Marriage Debate

Rediscovering What Has Been Written on Our Hearts from the Very Beginning

.

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.

It's been two weeks since Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signed multiple copies of the bill passed May 13 by the Minnesota Senate that makes civil marriage for same-sex couples legal in Minnesota beginning August 1. The Governor's signature makes Minnesota the 12th U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage.

Left: Governor Mark Dayton with Senator Scott Dibble, principle sponsor of the Senate version of the Minnesota marriage equality bill.

In describing the historic events of May 14, MinnPost journalist Beth Hawkins wrote:

. . . Despite blistering heat, the crowd blanketed the lawn and covered the broad expanse of stairs leading into the Capitol, where some of the senators who orchestrated Monday’s vote were still hard at work bringing the session to a close.

Flanked by dozens of state officials, LGBT activists, faith community leaders and other supporters, Dayton asked the crowd to thank the lawmakers for taking a risk.

“Thank you! Thank you!” the throng chanted in unison. And later, in what became the unofficial rallying cry of the week, “We’ve got your back, we’ve got your back.”

Even as the governor and lawmakers wrapped up their remarks, people continued to flow into the Capitol area waving American flags and rainbow banners.

Forty-five minutes after he picked up a pen, the governor sent the crowd on its way to a party planned for downtown St. Paul. “Go have fun,” he said. “Love is the law!”

Left: Sen. Scott Dibbe and his husband Richard Leyva – May 14 2013.

In 2011 Catholics for Marriage Equality MN, an initiative of the Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities (CPCSM), created a series of five video vignettes on faith, marriage and family from the perspective of LGBT Catholics and supportive family members. Scott and Richard feature in this series. (To view their vignette, click here. For photos and commentary on the September 29, 2011 premiere of the series at Minneapolis' Riverview Theater, click here.)


Archbishop Nienstedt responds

As executive coordinator of CPCSM/Catholics for Marriage Equality MN, I was honored to be invited to join other faith community leaders in a special area at the foot of the Capitol steps for the May 14 marriage equality bill signing. (Hence the photos that accompany this post!)

There were representatives from many faith traditions present – though, as usual, I was representing the one Christian faith tradition that officially worked against the marriage equality victory that we were celebrating. Indeed, the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church continues to work against marriage equality at the national level. Here in Minnesota, the MN Catholic Conference has expressed "disappointment" in the movement toward equality, while Archbishop John C. Nienstedt, one of the most vocal opponents of marriage equality, declared that May 14 was "a dark, sad day for Catholics in the state of Minnesota as well as for all faith-filled people who believe in traditional marriage."

"If marriage was only ever about love between consenting adults and their desires," wrote Nienstedt, "it would have been changed centuries ago."

Well, actually, marriage has "been changed" – both centuries ago and more recently. Just within the past 100 years, the abolishing of the ban on inter-racial marriages here in the U.S. served to "redefine" marriage. Looking further back, author Ken O'Neill is able to remind us that: "The fact that you can't sell your daughter for three goats and a cow means we've already redefined marriage."

Unmindful of such changes and developments, Archbishop Nienstedt insists that:

Marriage reflects truths about the human person that no human being, advocacy group or popular trend can mute or change, no matter how much one wishes reality to be shaped according to one’s own making. The traditional understanding of something is often considered as such because tradition reflects unchanging truth.

I find this statement troubling as it appears Archbishop Nienstedt is appealing to claims of "unchanging truth" so as to avoid not only the duty of reading the 'signs of the times' but also the possibility of encountering God in people and relationships that he's uncomfortable with.

I appreciate fellow Catholic blogger Terence Weldon's thoughts on the clinging by many within the church hierarchy to notions of "unchanging truth." Writes Terence:

The institutional Catholic Church often boasts proudly of its “constant and unchanging tradition” in its teaching, insisting not only that it does not change, but that, being God’s revealed truth, it simply cannot change. This is errant nonsense – any examination of Church history soon reveals examples of the very many ways that teaching has changed over the centuries, and continues to adapt in the present day. This is particularly frustrating for lesbian and gay Catholics, for whom the abundant internal contradictions and inconsistencies in the doctrine are only too obvious – and who are far too aware of the deep hurt, anguish and suffering that are caused by a dangerous and destructive disordered doctrine, For them, it is obvious that even in terms of its own logic, the doctrine simply must change . . .

I should also note that my friend Peg Helminski does an excellent job at refuting "unchanging truth" claims concerning so-called traditional marriage. In her 2009 article, "Redefining Marriage?," for instance, she writes that:

In the beginning, marriage was a relationship between two men. A man exchanged goods or services with a girl’s father to procure a virgin bride – a bride who likely became one of several wives. This way, he could assure himself that any children he supported held valid claim to his property. Yes, marriage began as a business transaction to assure male property rights. Often, marriage provided other benefits; increasing the family labor force, acquiring a trade agreement or securing a political alliance.

Marriage provided the basic economic unit of society. In choosing a bride, a man considered whatever skills a woman possessed that could contribute to his business. “Queen” or “tinker’s wife” were job descriptions, not relationships rooted in affection.

Although only required of bishops, the nascent Christian Church defined the ideal marriage as lifelong monogamy. This was, however, the ideal, not the reality.

Whereas fidelity was usually expected of a woman, and insured by various cultures through the use of chastity belts, veiling and foot binding, it was long excused if men expressed their affections outside marriage. Men owed nothing to children produced in these amorous liaisons: no support while alive, no inheritance after death. Such children were “illegitimate” because they held no legitimate claim to their father’s property. Only legitimate children had a claim to property rights.

Even a sacramental, Christian marriage (not instituted until 1215), had a long way to evolve before it reached today’s loving paradigm. Women seldom held rights of mate-selection or even a right to reject a choice made by a father or matchmaker. Until the 20th century, wives had no option to leave men who subjected them or their children to cruelty. Marriage for women was about duty: primarily the duty to produce a male heir to a husband’s possessions.

A threat to patriarchy

It would seem that the Roman Catholic hierarchy's real issue with same-sex marriage is how it undermines patriarchy, which, of course, is the basis for the power and privilege enjoyed by the males who comprise this hierarchy. Explains Peg Helminski:

[I]f we define marriage in the terms to which it has already evolved; if we eliminate unfair restrictions of gender-defined roles, economic dependence and subservience of one spouse to the other; if we name freely-chosen, committed love between respected equals as the purpose of marriage, we open the possibility of marriage to same sex couples.

And, gay marriage poses a threat – not, as detractors claim, to marriage as it is currently lived in Western culture, but to the repressive structures of patriarchy upon which marriage was founded.

You see, Western marriage is still transforming itself. We have not yet realized spousal equality. We remain locked in behavioral patterns formed in an age of male privilege. It is well documented, for example, that even in two career households; women still perform the overwhelming majority of childcare and routine household chores.

If society sanctions life-long, loving commitments between persons of the same sex, we will face daily examples of equality in marriage. We will see a living model for marriage that those in relationships stunted by ill-fitting, stereotypical expectations will learn from – and emulate. For, there simply is no clearer vision of a marriage of equals than the freely chosen, mutual love of two members of the same sex.

. . . The priesthood represents itself as the image of Christ on earth. In this metaphor, the faithful, united as one, are the bride of Christ. Historically, this image served to teach men the level of loyalty expected of them. The Church hierarchy demanded nothing less of men than the absolute fidelity and unquestioning subordination they, in turn, expected of their wives. Men accepted the absolute authority of the priesthood because they commanded similar power at home.

Yet, it is the absolute power of that unquestioned authority that allowed widespread abuse within the Church. If the laity should see how well a marriage of true equals can work; they might clearly understand just how dysfunctional their Church has become. They might recall to consciousness a time in our collective past wherein the vox populi (the voice of the people – the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, alive and moving in the hearts of the faithful) was a driving force, directing the formation of doctrine and Tradition – as well as Papal pronouncements.

With such a guiding model of equality in marriage, we might reclaim our dignity as children of God and, like a newly empowered, long battered wife, collectively say to the hierarchy, “We won’t accept your abuse for ourselves or our children any more! If you wish to remain one with us, you will respect the voice of the Bride of Christ as co-equal with your own.” The last vestiges of ecclesial patriarchy would crumble. . . .

How then might we understand and define marriage if not as the patriarchally-rooted "union between a man and a woman"? Here's what Peg suggests:

Marriage should be defined as a freely chosen, exclusive partnership of respected, adult equals; a joyous union of two minds and hearts, souls and bodies; a strong physical, spiritual and emotional bond; a commitment to deepest intimacy and profound mutual caring that provides an harmonious environment for the personal growth of both individuals and a foundation upon which to nurture others the couple enfolds in their celebration of love.

Although children remain one of the greatest blessings of marriage, we should defend childless marriages as valid marriages none-the-less, for it is the strength and union of committed love infusing life with vibrancy and outreaching purpose that reflects a spiritual truth about the life-giving nature of God, not the mere animal-function of producing offspring. Defined this way, marriage remains an icon of the sacrificial Love of Christ for His people and an enduring bond of stability; enhancing the entire community that affirms the couple’s commitment.

"What God has written on our hearts . . ."

Ever the valiant optimist, I believe that Archbishop Nienstedt is capable of recognizing and embracing such a beautiful and inclusive understanding of marriage. I glean support for this hope by the following which Archbishop wrote in the preface to the special Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis edition of Rediscover Catholicism: A Spiritual Guide to Living with Passion and Purpose.

Wherever you are on your faith journey, know that the community of faith is on that journey with you and that in the Church you will always have a place at the table . . . God's ocean of love and mercy give us all we need to rediscover what He has written on our hearts from the very beginning.

These words of Archbishop Nienstedt speak of journey and discovery, of openness to and trust in God's ongoing revelation in human life. It seems to me that Peg Helminski's articulation of the meaning and purpose of marriage is beautifully aligned to God's presence and transforming love witnessed in gay people's lives, relationships and families. I believe that what is "written on our hearts from the very beginning" is God's call to seek, discern and lovingly respond to all expressions and experiences of God's transforming love. Accordingly, I think we should give thanks and praise for the evolution in human awareness and understanding that has helped bring us to the point where we can and do witness such love in the lives and relationships of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. And, of course, we should also give thanks and praise to the courageous gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people who, in living lives of integrity and love, have served as midwives for such evolution.

My hope and prayer is that Archbishop Nienstedt and all the members of the Roman Catholic hierarchy will one day soon join their many fellow Catholics in expressing such thanks and praise.

________________________________

Following are more of my photos from the May 14 signing
of the Minnesota marriage equality bill.

 

Above: Before a crowd of more than 7,000 people, Governor Mark Dayton signs into law the bill that makes civil marriage for same-sex couples legal in Minnesota beginning August 1.

With Gov. Dayton are the bill's two chief sponsors, Rep. Karen Clark, with her partner Jacquelyn Zita, and Sen. Scott Dibble, with his husband Richard Leyva.

“By your political courage you join that pantheon of exceptional leaders who did something extraordinary,” Gov. Dayton told the crowd. “You changed the course of history for our state and our nation. . . . [This] progress has often been difficult, controversial and initially divisive. However, it has always been the next step ahead to fulfilling this country’s promise to every American.”

Above (from left): MN House Majority Leader Erin Murphy, Speaker of the MN House of Representatives Paul Thissen, Gov. Mark Dayton, Richard Leyva, Rep. Karen Clark, and Jacquelyn Zita.

Above: Sen. Scott Dibble acknowledges and thanks those gathered at the State Capitol for the May 14 marriage equality bill signing.

Above and right: One of the most inspiring speakers was Paul Melchert, a Twin Cities-based pediatric physician, who was present at the May 14 bill signing with his partner James Zimmerman and the couple's twin boys Emmett and Gabriel.

"This is all about the children and it is all about us as families," said Melchert as he thanked the crowd. "This is a beautiful victory for everyone. This is a victory of justice and equality in which everybody wins. We are all winners, there are no losers."

Over the past two years, as Minnesotans debated (and ultimately defeated) the anti-marriage equality 'marriage amendment' and moved toward legalized same-sex marriage, opponents would often argue that same-sex marriage would hurt children and families. The Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, however, issued a statement in October 2012 that said bans on gay marriage would do more harm than good for children with same-sex parents.

Standing with Paul and James in the picture above is Richard Carlbom, campaign manager for Minnesotans United for All Families.


Related Off-site Links:
Minnesota Legalizes Gay Marriage; Gov. Dayton Signs Bill Into Law – Megan Boldt and Christopher Snowbeck (St. Paul Pioneer Press via Denver Post, May 15, 2013).
The Catholics, Other Faith Groups Behind Minnesota Marriage Victory – Terence Weldon (Queering the Church, May 9, 2013).
The Top 10 Arguments Against Gay Marriage: All Receive Failing Grades! – Murray Lipp (The Huffington Post, May 28, 2013.

Update:
Richard Carlbom to Lead National Same-Sex Marriage Effort – Baird Helgeson (Star Tribune, July 9, 2013).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Acknowledging, Celebrating, and Learning from Marriage Equality's 'Triumphs of Faith'
"It'll Be Legal August 1st"
At the Minnesota State Capitol, Two Big Steps Forward for Marriage Equality
Drawing the Circle Wide
Two of the Most Inspiring Speeches from Today's Historic MN House Hearing and Vote on Marriage Equality
Karen Clark's Revolutionary Act: "Daring to Believe That People Can Change Their Hearts and Minds"
Photo of the Day – May 13, 2013
Marriage Equality Comes to Minnesota
Photo of the Day – May 14, 2013
Tongues and Souls on Fire
Marriage: "Part of What is Best in Human Nature"
God Weighs In on the Gay Marriage Debate
Lisa Cressman's Concise, Reasonable Answers to Marriage Equality Questions
Steve Chapman: "Time is On the Side of Gay Marriage"
Stephanie Coontz on the Changing Face of "Traditional Marriage"
John Corvino on the "Always and Everywhere" Argument Against Marriage Equality
Patrick Ryan on the "Defense of Traditional Marriage" Argument
Nathanial Frank on the "Natural Law" Argument
Quote of the Day – January 21, 2013
Quote of the Day – November 19, 2012

Images: Michael J. Bayly.