This week’s Coffee & Conversation topic: His Hospitality Has Limits: Pope Francis and Gay Marriage. Join us on Zoom this Friday, April 16 at 3 PM EST.
Last month, Pope Francis signed a Vatican decree barring priests from performing same-sex unions. The Washington Post reports “[though] the Vatican did not specify what prompted the decree, it was written in response to existing doctrinal questions. Some Vatican watchers speculated that the church might be responding directly to bishops in Germany, who are in the middle of a multiyear series of meetings — to the alarm of conservatives — aimed at reevaluating major aspects of the church, including sexuality and the role of women.”
Join us on Friday as we consider the historical context of this decree and its implications for the future of the Catholic Church. We’ll ask questions like:
If love is central to the teachings of Jesus Christ, can it ever be a sin?
Does the pope’s opinion matter? Why?
What right does a religious organization have to weigh in on the personal and romantic lives of its clergy and members? How does one’s personal life factor into religious life? Isn’t faith bigger than that?
Suggested Reading:
- Pope Francis says priests. cannot bless same-sex unions, dashing hopes of gay Catholics (The Washington Post)
- Seven Quotes That Make Pope Francis Complicated for LGBTQ People (Human Rights Campaign)
- POV: Vatican Decision to Remove Blessings from Same-Sex Unions Demoralizes Many Catholics (BU Today)
- Your thoughts on Vatican not blessing same-sex unions (National Catholic Reporter)