Incremental Progress in the Roman Catholic Church: Pope Francis and Sr. Jeannine Gramick of New Ways Ministry Meet!

I’m back in the “writing saddle” again after a wonderful break in Chile with my husband, Christian Halstead, his sister and brother-in-law, and Christian’s best friend.

One of the news items that popped up recently and wasn’t picked up by many in the mainstream media had to do with a meeting between Pope Francis and Sr. Jeannine Gramick of New Ways Ministry.

 New Ways Ministry began in 1977 with Sr. Jeannine Gramick and the late Fr. Robert Nugent. New Ways Ministry advocated for the full inclusion of LGBTQIA2S+ people in all parts of life in the Roman Catholic Church. The previous Pope, Pope Benedict XVI, when he was Cardinal Ratzinger, was opposed to this group and its ministry. This comes as no surprise for anyone who knows Cardinal Ratzinger. For Ratzinger, being gay was a sin, and your gender was fixed at birth.

While the two had been in correspondence for awhile, the meeting was very emotional, probably for both. The meeting lasted 50 minutes. Sr. Jeannine wrote: “The meeting was very emotional for me,” Gramick said in the release. “From the day he was elected, I have loved and admired Pope Francis because of his humility, his love for the poor and for those shunned by society. He is the human face of Jesus in our era. Pope Francis looks into your heart and his eyes say that God loves you.”

Pope Francis has made the most overt moves towards welcoming LGBTQIA2S+ people into the Roman Catholic Church among the many Popes of late. While nothing has changed dogmatically or doctrinally--this is where it really matters--nonetheless, Pope Francis has hinted he might be open to blessing same-sex relationships, although he said that should not be considered the norm or equal to marriages.

During the latest Synod in the Roman Catholic Church, there was even discussion of women being ordained deacons or priests, along with the validity of ordinations in the Anglican communion.

Here’s a link to more about this latest movement in the Roman Catholic Church: https://www.advocate.com/religion/pope-francis-meets-lgbtq-group

Having been involved in the movement towards inclusion of LGBTQIA2S+ people in many Protestant denominations, especially the Presbyterian Church USA and The United Methodist Church, I support and encourage and pray for the inclusion of LGBTQIA2S+ people in all Christian denominations and branches and trunks of the Church (Universal). And I know with the Roman Catholic Church it is going to take some time, because of the nature of how slowly the Church moves. Again: Women are not ordained to be either deacons or priests.

But, as the song goes, inch by inch, row by row...this is how we make a garden grow.

May it be so.





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