B NDINGS Vol. 39 No. 3 A Publication of New Ways Ministry Summer 2020 Church “got to answer” for teaching that “empowers the homophobic bully” By Mada Jurado “the Church describes homosexual acts it wonderful when he said who am I to NovenaNews.com as intrinsically evil. I would regard the judge,'” McAleese observed of the pon- June 30, 2020 Church’s teaching as disorderly and in- tiff’s famous 2013 remark on gays who trinsically evil. Why is it intrinsically “seek God and [have] good will,” in The Church has “got to answer” for evil? Because it conduces to homopho- which he also referred to another teach- its teaching on gays that “empowers the bia.” ing in the Catechism that homosexuals homophobic bully,” a former Irish presi- “Look at the language that is used – should never be marginalised but instead dent has insisted. ‘the homosexuality is disordered.’ Who must be integrated into society. Mary McAleese, who served two wants to believe that their God-given “Well I was not at all impressed by terms as Irish president betwen 1997 and nature is disordered?” McAleese asked. that,” McAleese admitted, “I was an- 2011 and has since received a doctorate “That homosexual acts, how they gered by it because he does judge. He is in canon law from Rome’s Pontifical express their love in a loving relation- the supreme judge of the Church. He is Gregorian University, hit out at the ship, for example… that that is regarded the legislator, he is the judge.” Church’s doctrine on homosexuality in as intrinsically evil. I don’t think so,” she “If there is something wrong with a podcast to mark last weekend’s Dublin added. the law, the only way it can be changed Pride celebrations. The former politician and canon law in the Church is if he changes it,” “The Church’s teaching on homo- expert explained that the Church’s lan- McAleese pleaded with the Pope. sexuality is ignorant, it is unreconstruc- guage wounds not only gay people and “He is the person who presides over tive in the life of science, it’s sad to their families – especially gay believers Mary McAleese the law that uses these awful phrases say. It has never been looked at in the seeking acceptance in Catholicism – but ‘intrinisically evil, intrinsically disor- light of the new sciences and it’s not also provides further licence to demean been “champions” in terms of forging a dered,’ he presides over that. He cannot only a pity, it’s worse than that,” and discriminate against them as well. more positive outreach on the part of the have it both ways but there is a long tra- McAleese deplored. “That language of evil and disor- Church to the LGBT community, and in dition in the Church of having it both The now-Chancellor of Trinity Col- dered trickles down into the thinking and that sense have been “the green shoots of ways,” she lamented. lege Dublin took aim especially at the it empowers the homophobe, it empow- a future open debate” regarding Catholic McAleese has been involved in the language in the Catechism, which among ers the homophobic bully. It gives him or doctrine and homosexuality. gay rights movement ever since the other things describes homosexual acts her permission to be homophobic and I However, she added that there is 1970s, when she was a legal advisor for as “acts of grave depravity” that “do not think the Church has got to answer that,” only one man who can really make a the Campaign for Homosexual Law Re- proceed from a genuine affective and McAleese insisted. difference in terms of the Church’s ap- form that finally suceeded in having ho- sexual complementarity,” adding “under McAleese praised “certain bishops, proach to gays: Pope Francis, who more- mosexuality decriminalised in Ireland in no circumstances can they be approved.” particularly in Germany” as well as over is dragging his feet on the issue. 1993.  But McAleese clapped back, arguing “certain cardinals” whom she said have “A lot of people will say ‘Oh wasn’t “If gay couple lives with faithfulness,can’t we say relationship is blessed by God?” By Robert Shine “On the first question – that of the have spoken favorably about church Bondings 2.0 Church’s concern for homosexuals – ‘for blessings for same-gender couples, in- NewWaysMinistry.org/blog a long time in moral theology we’ve said cluding the previous head of the coun- April 16, 2020 that, if it’s true love that lives commit- try’s episcopal conference, Cardinal ment and faithfulness, we must recognise Reinhard Marx who earlier this Another leading German bishop has it,’ the bishop explained, stressing that ‘if year reversed his 2018 position against endorsed church blessings for same- people decide for themselves how they such blessings. Bishop Franz-Josef Bode gender couples, suggesting that the live, can’t we tell them that their rela- of Osnabrück has affirmed such bless- church needs to work to change people’s tionship is blessed by God?’” ings at least three times, once in 2018, understanding that it only speaks in a Last year, the Diocese of Limburg once in 2019, and once last year. Also condemning way when it comes to sexu- under the bishop’s leadership began a offering an endorsement last year was ality. process to discuss such blessings. Bätz- Bishop Dieter Geerlings, auxiliary bish- Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg ing has repeatedly encouraged the church op emeritus for the Diocese of Münster, made his comments in a recent interview to “bridge the gap” between church who reaffirmed his existing support. That with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, a teaching and people’s lived realities. At a country’s lay-run Central Committee of leading German daily newspaper. session of the German church’s Synodal German Catholics formally en- (Novena News reported about the inter- Way process earlier this year, the bish- dorsed such blessings last year, but had view in an English language news story.) Bishop Georg Bätzing op suggested that bridging this gap could informally done so regarding same- Asked about the church’s future, Bätzing include “widening, opening, and chang- gender blessings back in 2015. said it was problematic that many people More specifically, Bätzing, who ing this teaching” in conversation with The Catholic Church in Germany “regard the Church’s moral teachings as was recently elected head of the German science. Bätzing’s words carry additional continues to be the leader in finding a prohibitive morality,” and especially on Bishops’ Conference, identified church weight given he heads the Synodal ways to affirm LGBTQ people and rela- questions of sexuality. “I’d like to blessings for same-gender couples and Way’s working group on sexual morali- tionships. change that,” said the bishop, “without married priests as two areas where such ty. developing a completely new teaching.” changes could take place: A number of German church leaders Italian cardinal calls for better spiritual guidance for gays, lesbians By Claire Giangravé and lesbian relationships as “intrinsically “We mustn’t relativize the law,” he ReligionNews.com disordered” and does not recognize mar- said, “but make it relevant to the con- May 26, 2020 riage between two people of the same crete person, with their own peculiari- sex. But starting with his famous quote ties.” VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Now “Who am I to judge?” in 2013, Pope When asked about creating spiritual more than ever, the Catholic Church has Francis has promoted a more inclusive guidance programs tailored specifically begun to address how to minister to stance toward homosexuality in the to members of the LGBT community, members of the LGBT community, espe- Catholic Church. In his 2016 document Zuppi said it’s more important to have a cially when it comes to spiritual guid- on the family, “Amoris Laetitia” (the Joy “specific outlook on people,” regardless ance. Following in Pope Francis’ foot- of Love), Francis called for the need to of their characteristics. steps, an Italian archbishop invited Cath- come alongside members of the LGBT “As Christians we must look at the olics to look at gays and lesbians “as community, a position he has reiterated person as a child of God, meaning with God looks at them.” several times since. the full right to receive, feel and experi- “When communities will truly begin In the preface of his book, Moia ence the love of God just as any other to look at people as God looks at them, interviews the archbishop on how to best child of God,” he said. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi then homosexual people — and every- put in practice Pope Francis’ appeals to Regardless of the Catholic Church’s (Francis DeBernardo Photograph) body else — will begin to feel, naturally, offer spiritual guidance and welcome position on homosexuality, Zuppi speci- a part of the ecclesial community,” said members of the LGBT community. fied that the doctrine distinguishes be- Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, the arch- “The Pope, and the Church with tween sexual orientation and homosexual Church, this cannot mean that the person bishop of the northern Italian town of him, isn’t interested in leading people to acts. is not to be welcomed. At least, Jesus Bologna, in the preface of a newly re- follow external rules,” Zuppi said. “His “What we cannot ‘welcome’ is the didn’t think so. leased book. interest is in helping people do the will sin expressed in an act,” he said. “Sexual “If Jesus had this criterion, he would The book, “Church and Homosexu- of God; meaning to enter a personal rela- orientation – which nobody ‘chooses’ – have required the conversion of Zacchae- ality: An Inquiry in Light of Pope Fran- tionship with God and hear from him the isn’t necessarily an act. Also, it’s not us,” Zuppi said, referring to the sinner cis’ Magisterium,” was written by Luci- appropriate Word for each life.” separable from the identity of the person; and tax collector in the Gospel of Luke. ano Moia, the chief editor at the monthly Catholic communities, he said, often by welcoming a person we cannot over- “Before accompanying the Samaritan to magazine on family published by the fail in listening to the needs of people look their (sexual) orientation.” the adoration of God in Spirit and Truth, Italian Bishops’ Conference. The book is from different walks of life. He voiced Finally, the archbishop warned that he would have asked her to regularize hitting the shelves this week in Italy. the need to not define a person based on even if an individual leads a lifestyle that her marital situation. … Did Jesus act The Catholic Church considers gay a single characteristic. is not approved of by the Catholic this way?”  Page 2 BONDINGS Vol. 39, No. 3 B NDINGS What I Wish I Could Tell My Students Summer 2020 Vol. 39, No. 3 By Anonymous not erase the Church’s history of oppression of our com- Bondings 2.0 munity. Please know that no one in Campus Ministry NewWaysMinistry.org/blog would be anything but affirming and supportive of you. Francis DeBernardo, Editor April 27, 2020 Our primary responsibility as employees of the university is to support you, and we are happy to fulfill that duty. I Board of Directors Last year, I sat as a queer campus minister in a promise to continue to hold myself and my colleagues ac- Jeannine Gramick, SL, Chair breakout session at a conference for LGBTQ students from countable to the hurt and exclusion perpetuated in the past, Dr. Jerry Fath Catholic universities, and I marveled at the strength, cour- and work ever harder to ensure all are welcome in our Ryan Sattler age, and grace these students display in their daily lives. physical and spiritual space. Cristina Traina One student posed a question along these lines: “Where are To those who are not ready to come out (like I was all the queer campus ministers? Why aren’t they standing in college), or who can only come out to the safest of Board of Advisors up to administration when queer students are targeted or people, know that there are allies all around our Catholic Robert Brady excluded?” campus. Queer faculty and staff inhabit many academic I shrunk into my chair, fidgeting. My knee began and administrative departments, and they are ready to be Rev. Peter Daly bouncing up and down involuntarily as it always does mentors and role models. And there are allies, too. In my Jeremy Dickey when I’m anxious. I looked around the room at my col- own journey, finding a straight professor and a straight Brian Flanagan leagues from other schools–some of whom I knew to be campus minister who were allies were a huge part of my Rev. James Kiesel allies, others I knew to be “family.” The room sat quietly coming out process. Even though queer campus ministers Elizabeth Linehan, RSM for a minute, as shame and indignation simultaneously aren’t able to advertise our mentorship, we are here to sup- Anne Marie Miller, RSM washed over me–and very likely many of my colleagues. port you the best we can. The awkward silence was broken by a brave partici- To the LGBTQ students who, like the student at Staff pant who invited the workshop members to think more the conference, are disappointed by my silence, I hear Francis DeBernardo, Executive Director justly about the situation. The reality is that queer campus you, too. Please know how much it truly pains me to have Matthew Myers, Associate Director ministers are often themselves targeted, excluded, and mar- to keep myself quiet and go back into the closet to stay Robert Shine, Associate Director ginalized. We often walk on eggshells, carefully calculat- employed. But also know that as part of living my voca- Dwayne Fernandes, Staff Associate ing with whom we can be honest, what we say in public, tion, I am trying to shift the paradigm and to challenge the and how we interact with students–especially LGBTQ stu- system in subtle ways. And please know that my fear about Co-Founders dents. being out at work is not imagined or delusional. Even as Sr. Jeannine Gramick, SL Students at the conference assumed that because they closeted as I am at work, I have been called homophobic attend schools where justice slurs by students, coworkers, Rev. Robert Nugent, SDS and inclusion are central to the and supervisors. I have been educational mission, that cam- targeted and even threatened by Bondings is a seasonal publication designed pus ministers should be free to supervisors and administrators to keep our subscribers informed of issues live their lives openly and cou- because of my sexuality. At the that pertain to LGBT people rageously. My colleague ex- same time, I have been excluded and the Catholic Church. plained that because of our from queer spaces and shamed roles in direct ministry in Cath- by LGBTQ coworkers for not Founded in 1977, New Ways Ministry olic institutions, that is not the being out. Living as a queer is an educational and bridge-building case. While we wholeheartedly Catholic Campus Minister, but ministry of reconciliation between the support LGBTQ students’ not being fully accepted in ei- Catholic LGBT community struggle for full inclusion, safe ther space, is not easy. and the institutional structures space, and affirmation of their Finally, to the students in the Roman Catholic Church. identity, full-throated support who out of fear, ignorance, upbringing, or outside pressure do not believe I belong would call attention to us, leaving us exposed and vulnera- ble to the power brokers at universities: donors, some cler- in ministry or that your LGBTQ peers do not belong in New Ways Ministry seeks to eradicate gy, bishops, and even external community members who the Church: Please know that my life is not a difference prevalent myths and stereotypes feel it is their duty to police Catholic spaces. And these of opinion or theological ambiguity. I belong here. We about homosexuality and gender identity figures often do not want us in active ministry. belong here. I invite you to listen to LGBTQ Catholics to and supports civil rights for LGBT persons I have replayed that conference interaction–both the hear how they feel, what they’ve experienced, how they in society. student’s disappointment and my colleague’s careful, raw have felt the same unconditional love of God in their lives

response–as I read about LGBTQ employees losing their that you have felt, and how hurtful homophobic rhetoric in New Ways Ministry jobs at Catholic schools, including a campus minister the Church can feel. Know that the lives of LGBTQ people 4012 29th Street forced to resign from a Jesuit university. I experience that everywhere, including those in the Church, are not a Mount Rainier, Maryland 20712 internal struggle between wanting to stand up and scream thought experiment for you to theorize about or debate. (301) 277-5674 my support for my queer colleagues and students, on the Christ’s commandment to love one another as you love [email protected] one hand, and sinking into my chair, wishing to toe the line yourself is neither a theory nor open to interpretation. Love NewWaysMinistry.org and blend in with my straight colleagues, on the other. your LGBTQ brothers and sisters as you love yourself. If That internal grappling has brought to the surface a you need to learn how to love yourself first, we in Campus few things I wish I could tell my students. Ministry are here to love and support you through that To my LGBTQ students who are courageous journey. And yes, just as I have learned to love myself, I TO SUBSCRIBE enough to live openly and honestly about their identities love you, too. and who participate in Campus Ministry activities, I see In ministry, I have had the gift of getting to know COMPLETE AND RETURN THE FORM you, I support you, and I very truly love you. To those of countless young Catholics (and people of many beliefs) BELOW you who have found your place in the world and on cam- who take their faith seriously. These young people have pus, your courage and your hunger for justice inspire me. displayed sincere understanding of our Catholic fundamen- When I think back to my college days and remember the tals: to love unconditionally as Jesus loved, to show prefer- Enclosed is: scared, closeted, angry person I was, I am amazed at the ence to the poor and marginalized as God does, and to cou- grace with which you all move through life. Every one of rageously follow their consciences in pursuit of this mis- _____ $25.00 in the US or Canada you offers a beautiful light to this campus, and even in the sion as our ancestors have done. Most of the students I darker moments living in the shadows here, I, too, carry have met recognize that discrimination LGBTQ Catholics _____ $35.00 outside US or Canada that light. You are my hope for a future in which the face is unjust, and they do not stand for it. Their allyship, Church lives up to its mission as the Body of Christ by combined with the fearlessness of LGBTQ Catholics who _____ I wish to receive Bondings, welcoming, accepting, loving, and offering the fullness of refuse to be excluded from their spiritual home, will mean but cannot donate at this time. life to every person. a different future for the Church–one in which all are wel- To those LGBTQ students who are skeptical of come. Until that time, I will continue to share the same Name ______Campus Ministry, I see you, too. I love you, too. And, message to all students I have shared throughout my ca- truly, I get it. Though our offices proudly display “safe reer: God loves you and so do I. Address ______space” decals, talk and symbols are cheap. That decal does

City ______

State ______Are You Ready to Take the Next Steps?

DayPhone ______Do you want to help your parish become more welcoming of LGBTQ people Night Phone ______and don’t know where to begin?

Cell Phone ______Has your parish already begun to welcome LGBTQ people

Email ______but it’s now time to develop that welcome in new ways?

Please make check payable to “New Ways Check out New Ways Ministry’s Online Series Ministry”. Outside the US, please use only checks drawn on a US bank in US dollars or Next Steps: Developing Catholic LGBTQ Parish Ministry go to www.newwaysministry.org.

Mail to: New Ways Ministry For more information and to register, go to: 4012 29th Street Mount Rainier, MD 20712 www.NewWaysMinistry.org/programs/nextsteps/ Summer 2020 BONDINGS Page 3 New Austrian Bishops’ head open to rethink doctrine on homosexuality He also commissioned newly published book on gay blessings By Cameron Doody priesthood – Lackner defended the tradi- argues that the Church should NovenaNews.com tional veto on female priests but said that “recognise” the “sacramental character” June 17, 2020 the ‘no’ to their ordination was actually of gay love. an advantage to them. “By blessing homosexual relation- Archbishop of Salzburg Franz Lack- “I as a priest should not preach what ships,” the Church would “show an ap- ner, elected June 16 as the new President I believe, but the teaching of the preciation for this relationship,” and of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference in a Church,” the archbishop explained, add- would “symbolically express the love of plenary assembly in Mariazell, said in a ing: “I must never strike out on my own God for man,” was how Volgger 2014 interview on the occasion of mov- like a layman. Or like pastoral care summed up the content of the volume. ing to his current archdiocese that workers who get close to people. Sacra- When asked the reason why he and “celibacy is not the ideal type of sexuali- mental service is a distant service. Wom- theologian colleagues had written the ty.” en are close to life. Spiritual accompani- book, Volgger replied: “Because the Franciscan Lackner, 64 next month, ment is something that laypeople can do Austrian liturgical commission, chaired was asked specifically in that interview better.” by Archbishop Lackner of Salzburg, whether the Church should be more open Even if Lackner is a defender of the asked us to deal with this question.” to women and gays and finally “enter Church’s ‘no’ to women’s ordination on Before he was appointed to Salzburg into the 21st century.” the basis of a supposed tradition against in 2013, Lackner was auxiliary bishop of Archbishop Lackner replied that “we it, he did admit in 2017 that “if Jesus the diocese of Graz-Seckau from 2002. already are [open]. Pope Francis has al- came into the world today, I would say to In his younger years he began train- ready said a great deal on these sub- him, ‘Take the women to the priesthood.’ ing as an electrician, before abandoning jects.” But there is also an injustice on the other that trade to become a UN peacekeeper On the question of the Church’s side: celibacy. So a priest must live with- in Cyprus in 1978 and 1979, where he relationship to gays specifically, Lackner out woman.” found his vocation and later ended up said: “I have friends who are homosexu- The precise details of Lackner’s joining the Franciscans in 1984. al. We do not discriminate against any- Archbishop Franz Lackner thought on priestly celibacy and women Lackner – who has also been profes- one. We’re not allowed to do that. If that in the Church apart, where the Salzburg sor of Metaphysics at the Cistercian Phil- happened, we would have to apologise Given that doctrine sees homosexu- archbishop appears more determined to osophical-Theological University at and change that. But you have to allow a ality as an “inclination” that is innovate is in the field of official Church Heiligenkreuz – succeeds as Austrian community of faith to say that the ideal “objectively disordered” – as the Cate- blessings for gay couples. Bishops’ President Cardinal Christoph type of lived sexuality is not homosexu- chism puts it – the Church calls homo- Austrian priest theologian Ewald Schönborn, the Archbishop of Vienna, ality. The ideal type is also not celibate sexuals to live lives of strict chastity. Volgger presented last month a new co- who has served in the role for the past 22 life. Pope Francis said well: ‘Who am I Regarding the Church’s relationship authored volume entitled The Benedic- years. Lackner’s new deputy is Manfred to judge?’ I don’t judge.” to women – and specifically whether the tion of Same-Sex Partnerships which Scheuer, the Bishop of Linz.  Church should admit women to the Discrimination and Degradation Are Parts of SCOTUS Decision on “Ministers” By Lisa Fullam litigated. One of the plaintiffs in this Indeed, many ‘ministers’ of the Catholic Bondings 2.0 decision was fired after her diagnosis of teachers in Catholic faith simply because of their NewWaysMinistry.org/blog breast cancer was revealed; the other schools are non- supervisory role over students July 14, 2020 worker was fired after many years of Catholic or non- in a religious school. That employment in the school, and she Christian. In these cas- stretches the law and logic The Supreme Court decision in the claimed age discrimination as the basis es, neither of the teach- past their breaking points.” two recent religious employment discrim- for her termination. The ministerial ex- ers was commissioned Further, to call people ination cases (Our Lady of Guadalupe ception allows Catholic institutions to in any way beyond be- “ministers” who have no School v. Morrissey-Berru and St. James treat its employees in ways that civil ing hired to teach. The meaningful theological train- School v. Biel) sides with those who society has deemed immoral and illegal. vast majority of their ing or any explicit authoriza- would fire their employees for reasons of Let me be clear—it is reasonable for work was teaching secu- tion–or even a necessary con- illness, disability, age, sexual orientation churches to establish criteria for those lar subjects, not reli- nection to the Church at all– or identity, or, conceivably, any of the who minister in their names. Neither of gion. (Neither of the degrades the notion of the other protections provided to workers by the two teachers named had any of the schools in this case re- term at a time when lay min- civil law. It was just last month that the advanced theological training regarded quires even its religion istry is in sore need of greater Court decided that LGBTQ Americans are as essential by seminaries since the teachers to be Catholic, Justice Sonia Sotomayor magisterial appreciation, and due civil rights protection under Title VII, Counter-Reformation. Since both were for that matter.) As Jus- is increasingly the face of and almost immediately the reach of that women, they would have been shooed tice Sonia Sotomayor put it in her dis- ministry in the Church. case was limited by the “ministerial ex- away from most seminaries if they sent: It is also true that teachers of all ception” in these cases. This broad deci- claimed a call to priesthood. They were “Even if the teachers were not Cath- subjects are important bearers of a Cath- sion, allowing religious institutions enor- not ministers in the sense that they were olic, and even if they were forbidden to olic institution’s charism. The question mous latitude in deciding who counts as a authorized religious authorities in the participate in the church’s sacramental of what counts as Catholic identity is a minister, lets institutions to duck civil Catholic Church. worship, they would nonetheless be (Continued on page 6) rights laws in the name of religious free- dom. The United States Conference of New Ways Ministry Affirms That Black Lives Matter Catholic Bishops’ amicus brief supporting In response to the recent national We recognize, too, that it was queer ple must take responsibility, too. One of the schools is grounded in religious liber- and global responses to racial injustice, Black women who propelled Black the first things white people must do is ty, but is developed into a ringing en- the New Ways Ministry staff and board Lives Matter into our consciousness as a listen to the stories and experience of dorsement of the role of laypeople as min- reflected on organizational engagement nation, just as it was BIPOC transgender their Black neighbors. The culture of sters in the Church: with anti-racist work and with the women who initiated the LGBTQ libera- white supremacy and racist systems in “The Church [sic] has emphasized movement for Black lives. tion movement at Stonewall in 1969. the United States and elsewhere are not that the laity must not be viewed as mere New Ways Ministry has released The recent killings have energized autonomous forces, but ones which are ‘collaborators’ with the clergy, but as the following statement as one step in a the Black Lives Matter movement be- sustained by the decisions, actions, and people who are really ‘co-responsible’ for long journey. cause the lives of Black people killed lifestyles of white people, who are the the Church’s being and acting.” (Message this spring are but the latest in a long beneficiaries of these unequal systems of of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on the The killings of George Floyd, power because of white privilege. Occasion of the Sixth Ordinary Assembly Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Neither in its origins in a of the International Forum of Catholic Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard slaveholding society or in its cur- Action (Aug. 10, 2012).) The Church ex- Brooks and many other Black rent actions is our Catholic Church horts the laity to ‘share the pastoral deci- people this spring are tragic and innocent. Rather, we as Catholics sions of the dioceses and parishes, … unjust. New Ways Ministry af- are called to address how the very creating …communion with priests for a firms that Black Lives Matter, institutions and structures that we lively ministerial and missionary commu- and we call on all of our support- hold dear as Catholics participate nity.’ (Ibid.)” ers and friends to do the same. in injustice, and to allow BIPOC You’d think this affirmation would Our Catholic mission of working Catholics’ experiences lead us be good news. Lay people in ministry for justice for LGBTQ people toward lament, repentance, and have long been calling for greater recog- calls us to speak out for all conversion.” nition of their work in and for the LGBTQ people, and to seek liber- Racism and white privilege Church as ministry. As of 2015, the num- ation for every oppressed person. have made Black lives expendable ber of lay ecclesial ministers in parish We cannot be satisfied with eradi- for centuries. This needs to end. In ministry (which is steadily growing) ex- cating injustice towards LGBTQ this historical moment, we declare ceeded the number of priests (which is people while racial injustice unequivocally that Black Lives shrinking), for the first time. In Catholic thrives and spreads unchecked. Matter. We at New Ways Ministry schools, the role of laity as teachers is As Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., commit to examining our lives, striking: as of 2016, there are 146,367 said: “Injustice anywhere is a listening intently to BIPOC voices professional staff teaching in Catholic threat to justice everywhere.” as our guides, repenting of our schools; only 2.6% are religious or clergy As Catholics, we are called complicity, and working towards (only 0.6% are clergy). Welcoming lay by our faith to be actively anti-racist in line of Black deaths, often at the hands Black liberation as an integral aspect of people into true co-responsibility in the support of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, of police officers, which white people our work for LGBTQ equality.  works of the Church should work to dis- and People of Color) communities. We shamefully too often ignored. The recent solve the stark boundary between the or- are particularly concerned with the lives deaths and the protests that have arisen —New Ways Ministry Board and dained and non-ordained that fosters toxic of transgender People of Color whose in their wake are calling our nation to a Staff , July 2, 2020 clericalism. lives and well-being are constantly and reckoning, long overdue. While the indi- But that’s not why these cases were disproportionately endangered by rac- viduals who kill Black people are re- ism, white privilege, and transphobia. sponsible for their deaths, all white peo- Page 4 BONDINGS Vol. 39, No. 2 LGBTQ-friendly Catholic Parishes & Communities Below is a list of known LGBTQ-friendly Catholic parishes and intentional Eucharistic communities. Thank you for helping us add to this growing list. If you are aware of a parish or community that welcomes LGBTQ Catholics, please let us know. Tell us if this welcome is because of a support program, spirituality group, mission statement, participation in LGBTQ community events, or involvement with parents. For links to many of these parishes’ websites, go to www.NewWaysMinistry.org/resources/parishes.

To recommend a community for the list, please email [email protected] or call 301-277- 5674. Parishes are listed first and intentional Eucharistic communities follow. If you learn that any of the plac- es on this list are no longer LGBTQ-friendly, please inform us of that, too. PARISHES Our Lady of the Pines Louisiana New Mexico Alabama Denver: St. Dominic, Christ the King, New Orleans: St. Augustine Albuquerque: Holy Family, Decatur: Annunciation of the Lord Our Lady of Mount Carmel, St. San Felipe de Neri Montgomery: St. Bede Ignatius Loyola Maine Espanola: Sacred Heart of Jesus

Lafayette: Immaculate Conception Portland: Sacred Heart-St. Dominic, Arizona Lakewood: St. Bernadette Our Lady of Hope New York Glendale: St. Thomas More Littleton: Light of the World, Saco: Most Holy Trinity Albany: St. Vincent DePaul Mesa: St. Bridget St Frances Cabrini Baldwinsville: St. Augustine Phoenix: St. Patrick Maryland Bellmore: St. Barnabas the Apostle Tucson: St. Cyril of Alexandria, Connecticut Baltimore: Corpus Christi, Bellport: Mary Immaculate Ss. Peter and Paul, St. Pius X, Guilford: St. George’s St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius, Binghamton: St. Francis of Assisi Our Mother of Sorrows, St. Odilia, Hartford: St. Patrick-St. Anthony St. Matthew, St. Vincent dePaul Brooklyn: St. Andrew the Apostle, St. Thomas More Newman Center New Haven: St. Thomas More Chapel Columbia: St. John the Evangelist St. Boniface, St. Athanasius,

Gaithersburg: St. Rose of Lima St. Augustine, Immaculate. California Delaware Hagerstown: St. Ann Heart of Mary Baldwin Park: St. John the Baptist North Wilmington: Holy Child Severn: St. Bernadette Buffalo: St. Joseph University Parish Berkeley: Holy Spirit Parish Wilmington: St. Joseph, Sacred Heart Deer Park: Ss. Cyril and Methodius Burney: St Francis of Assisi Oratory Massachusetts East Islip: St. Mary Carlsbad: St. Patrick Amherst: Newman Catholic Center of Elmira: St. Mary Camarillo: Padre Serra Parish District of Columbia UMass Fairport: Church of the Assumption Claremont: Our Lady of Assumption Holy Trinity, St. Matthew Cathedral Boston: St. Joseph, Paulist Center, Henrietta: Good Shepherd El Cajon: St. Luke St. Anthony Shrine, St. Cecilia Ithaca: St. Catherine of Siena Encino: Our Lady of Grace Florida Brimfield: St. Christopher Manhattan: Ascension, Blessed Sacra- Escondido: St. Timothy Cocoa Beach: Our Savior Buzzard’s Bay: St. Margaret’s/St. ment, Holy Name of Jesus, St. Fran- Fremont: St. Joseph-Mission San Jose Daytona Beach: Our Lady of Lourdes Mary’s cis deSales, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Fresno: St. Anthony Claret, St. Paul Flagler Beach: Santa Maria del Mar East Longmeadow: St. Michael Francis Xavier, St. Ignatius Loyola, Newman Center Ft. Lauderdale: Blessed Sacrament, St. Littleton: St. Anne-St. Catherine St. Paul the Apostle Goleta: St. Mark Univ. Parish Anthony, St. Maurice Medford: Catholic Community at Tufts Pittsford: Church of Transfiguration Hawthorne: St. Joseph (Spanish) Key West: Basilica of St. Mary Star of University Rochester: Blessed Sacrament, Hayward: All Saints the Sea Monson: St. Patrick St. Mary (Downtown), St. Monica Huntington Beach: Sts. Simon and Jude Tampa: Sacred Heart Newton: St. Ignatius Saratoga Springs: St. Peter LaPuente: St. Martha Provincetown: St. Peter Schenectady: St. Luke Lemon Grove: St. John of the Cross Georgia Sharon: Our Lady of Sorrows Syracuse: St. Lucy, All Saints Long Beach: St. Matthew, Our Lady of Atlanta: Shrine of the Immaculate Springfield: Sacred Heart Utica: Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Refuge Conception Whitinsville: St. Patrick Historic Old St. John’s Los Angeles: Blessed Sacrament, Wading River: St. John the Baptist Christ the King, Mother of Good Idaho Michigan Wantagh: St. Frances de Chantal Counsel, St. Camillus Center-LA Boise: St. Mary Ann Arbor: St. Mary Student Parish West Islip: Our Lady of Lourdes USC Medical Center (Spanish), Detroit: St. Leo, Christ the King, Gesu Westbury: St. Brigid St. Agatha, St. Paul the Apostle, Illinois Parish, Ss. Peter and Paul St. Anselm Berwyn: St. Mary of the Celle Livonia: St. Edith North Carolina North Hollywood: St. Jane Frances de Chicago: Immaculate Conception, St. Ignace: St. Ignatius Loyola Charlotte: St. Peter Chantal, St. Patrick St. Clement, St. Gertrude, Westland: Ss. Simon and Jude Durham: Immaculate Conception Oakland: Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Gregory, St. Peter, Fayetteville: St. Patrick St. Columba, St. Jarleth St. Sylvester, St. Teresa of Avila, Minnesota Raleigh: St. Francis of Assisi Oceanside: St. Thomas More St. Thomas the Apostle, Our Lady Minneapolis: St. Frances Cabrini, Orange: Holy Family Cathedral of Lourdes, Our Lady of Mt. Car- St. Joan of Arc Ohio Orangevale: Divine Savior mel, Old St. Patrick St. Paul: St. Thomas More Akron: St. Bernard Palm Springs: St. Theresa, Our Lady of Clarendon Hills: Notre Dame Centerville: St. Leonard Guadalupe, Our Lady of Solitude Country Club Hills: St. Emeric Missouri Cincinnati: St. George-St. Monica, Pasadena: Assumption of the B.V.M. Evanston: St. Nicholas Kansas City: Guardian Angels, St. Robert Bellarmine, St. Francis de Redondo: St. Lawrence Martyr Inverness: Holy Family Holy Family, St. James, St. Francis Sales Redwood City: St. Matthias Johnston City: St. Paul Xavier Cleveland: Blessed Trinity, Ross: St. Anselm Morton Grove: St. Martha St. Joseph: St. Francis Xavier St. Malachi, St. Martha Sacramento: St. Francis of Assisi Oak Park: Ascension, St. Catherine of St. Louis: St. Cronan, St. Margaret of Columbus: St. Thomas More San Carlos: St. Charles Sienna-St. Lucy, St. Giles Scotland, St. Pius V Newman Center, St. Francis of San Diego: Ascension, St. John the Schaumburg: St. Marcelline Assisi Evangelist, St. Jude Shrine, Catholic Montana Fairlawn: St. Hilary Community of UC San Diego Indiana Billings: Holy Rosary, St. Pius X Mentor: St. John Vianney San Dimas: Holy Name of Mary Dyer: St. Maria Goretti University Heights: Church of Gesu San Francisco: Most Holy Redeemer, Franklin: St. Rose of Lima Nebraska Westlake: St. Ladislas Old St. Mary Cathedral, St. Agnes, Indianapolis: St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Omaha: Holy Family, Sacred Heart, Wooster: St. Mary of the Immaculate St. Dominic, St. Ignatius, Gabriel the Archangel, St. Pius X St. John Parish (Creighton Conception St. Teresa of Avila University) San Jose: St. Julie Billiart, Iowa Oklahoma San Luis Obispo: Mission San Luis Coralville: St. Thomas More Nevada Tulsa: St. Jerome San Ramon: St. Joan of Arc Des Moines: Holy Trinity Las Vegas: Christ the King, San Raphael: Church of San Raphael & Guardian Angel Cathedral Oregon Mission San Raphael Arcangel Kentucky Beaverton: Spirit of Grace Santa Barbara: OL of Guadalupe Lexington: Historic St. Paul Church, New Hampshire Portland: St. Andrew, St. Francis of As- Santa Cruz: Holy Cross St. Peter Claver Merrimack: St. John Neumann sisi, St. Phillip Neri, Downtown Santa Monica: St. Monica Louisville: Epiphany, Cathedral of the Pelham: St. Patrick Chapel (St. Vincent de Paul), Spring Valley: Santa Sophia Assumption, St. William, Our La- St. Ignatius Stanford: Catholic Community at dy of Lourdes New Jersey Stanford University Cherry Hill: Christ Our Light Pennsylvania South Pasadena: Holy Family Clifton: St. Philip the Apostle Danville: St. Joseph Valinda: St. Martha Hoboken: Our Lady of Grace Latrobe: St. Vincent Basilica Vernon: Holy Angels Catholic Church of Keyport: St. Joseph Philadelphia: Old St. Joseph, the Deaf Lawrenceville: St. Ann Old St. Mary, St. John the Walnut Creek: St. John Vianney Long Beach Island: St. Francis of Evangelist, St. Vincent DePaul West Hollywood: St. Ambrose, Assisi Wallingford: St. John Chrysostom St. Victor Maplewood: St. Joseph Wilkinsburg: St. James Whittier: St. Mary of the Assumption Monmouth: Precious Blood Woodland Hills: St. Mel Pompton Lakes: St. Mary Rhode Island River Edge: St. Peter the Apostle Providence: St. Raymond Colorado South Plainfield: Sacred Heart Warwick: Sts. Rose & Clement Arvada: Spirit of Christ Tinton Falls: St. Anselm Wickford: St. Bernard Avon: St. Edward Turnersville: Sts. Peter and Paul Colorado Springs: Sacred Heart, (Continued on page 5) Spring 2020 BONDINGS Page 5 LGBTQ-friendly Catholic Parishes & Communities (continued)

(Continued from page 4) Washington Guadalupe, Our Lady of Lourdes Conception (Farm Street Church, Seattle: Christ Our Hope, St. Benedict, Wauwatosa: St. Pius X Mayfair) Tennessee St. James Cathedral, St. Joseph, St. York: Bar Convent (Middlesborough Memphis: St. Patrick, Cathedral of the Mary’s Outside the U.S. Diocese LGBT+ Ministry) Immaculate Conception Spokane: St. Aloysius Canada Tacoma: St. Leo Montreal: Holy Cross, Saint-Pierre- Texas Apôtre, Northern Ireland Austin: Univ.of Texas Catholic Center Wisconsin Ottawa: St. Joseph Belfast: Clonard Monastery Parish Colleyville: Good Shepherd Fond du Lac: Holy Family Toronto: Our Lady of Lourdes Dallas: Holy Trinity Madison: Our Lady Queen of Peace South Africa El Paso: All Saints Menomonee Falls: Good Shepherd England Johannesburg: Holy Trinity Houston: St. Anne, St. Teresa Milwaukee: St. Bernadette, Good Shep- Bristol: St. Nicholas of Tolentino Odessa: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton herd, Prince of Peace, Trinity- London: Church of the Immaculate Plano: St. Elizbeth Ann Seton INTENTIONAL EUCHARISTIC COMMUNITIES Virginia Arlington: Our Lady Queen of Peace Arizona Community Pittsburgh: Dignity//Pittsburgh Glen Allen: St. Michael the Archangel Scottsdale: Franciscan Renewal Center Greenbelt: Greenbelt Catholic Mechanicsville: Church of the Redeemer Community Virginia Richmond: Cathedral of the Sacred California Arlington: NOVA Catholic Community Heart, Sacred Heart Parish Bermuda Dunes: St. Clare of Assisi Michigan McLean: PAX Community Roanoke: St. Gerard Pleasanton: Catholic Community of Grand Rapids: Marywood Spirituality Triangle: St. Francis Pleasanton Center Washington Virginia Beach: St. Nicholas San Diego: Mary Magdalene Catholic Kalamazoo: Lambda Catholic Lacey: Holy Wisdom Inclusive Community Catholic Community San Francisco: Dignity/San Francisco Minnesota Minneapolis: Spirit of St. Stephen's Wisconsin District of Columbia Catholic Community Madison: Holy Wisdom Monastery Communitas, Dignity/Washington Milwaukee: Mary of Magdala, Apostle Ohio to the Apostles Florida Dayton: Living Beatitudes Community Tampa: Franciscan Center Outside the U.S. Oregon Iowa Portland: Journey and Koinonia Ireland Coralville: Full Circle Small Faith Catholic Community Dublin: Orlagh in the City Community Pennsylvania Korea Maryland Drexel Hill: St. Mary Magdalene Seoul: Alpha Omega Commuinity Baltimore, Annapolis, Thurmont: Community Living Water Inclusive Catholic LGBTQ-friendly Catholic Colleges and Universities Below is a list of known LGBTQ-friendly Catholic colleges and universities, that is, those Catholic institutions that have some type of LGBTQ student group, support group, ally group, program, or policy. If you are aware of such a college that is known as welcoming to LGBTQ people, please contact New Ways Ministry. Phone: 301-277-5674; Email: [email protected]. Alabama St. Mary’s College, Univ. of Notre St. Louis University Dallas: Misericordia University Mobile: Spring Hill College Dame Erie: Mercyhurst College Montana Greensburg: Seton Hill University California Iowa Helena: Carroll College Immaculata: Immaculata University Belmont: Notre Dame de Namur Davenport: St. Ambrose University Philadelphia: Chestnut Hill College, University Dubuque: Loras College, Nebraska LaSalle University, St. Joseph’s Goleta: St. Mark’s University Clarke University Omaha: Creighton University University Los Angeles: Loyola Marymount Pittsburgh: Carlow University, University, Mount Saint Mary’s Kentucky New Hampshire Duquesne University College Louisville: Spalding University, Manchester: St. Anselm College Radnor: Cabrini College Moraga: St. Mary’s College Bellarmine University Nashua: Rivier College Reading: Alvernia University Oakland: Holy Names University Scranton: Marywood University Ranchos Palos Verde: Marymount College Louisiana New Jersey Villanova: Villanova University San Diego: University of San Diego New Orleans: Loyola University Caldwell: Caldwell College San Francisco: University of San Jersey City: St. Peter’s College Rhode Island Francisco Maryland Newark: Seton Hall School of Law Newport: Salve Regina University Santa Clara: Santa Clara University Baltimore: Notre Dame of Providence: Providence College Maryland University, New York Colorado Loyola University of Maryland Albany: College of Saint Rose Texas Denver: Regis University Brooklyn and Patchogue: Austin: Saint Edward’s University Massachusetts St. Joseph’s College San Antonio: University of the Incarnate Connecticut Boston: Emmanuel College, Bronx: Fordham University, Word, Our Lady of the Lake Univer- Fairfield: Fairfield University, Chestnut Hill: Boston College Manhattan College sity, St. Mary’s University Sacred Heart University Chicopee: Elms College Buffalo: Canisius College New Haven: Albertus Magnus College Easton: Stonehill College Loudonville : Siena College Vermont West Hartford: Saint Joseph College North Andover: Merrimack College New Rochelle: College of New Rochelle, Colchester: Saint Michael’s College Weston: Regis College Iona College District of Columbia Worcester: Assumption College, Poughkeepsie: Marist College Washington Georgetown University, Trinity College of the Holy Cross Rochester: St. John Fisher College Lacey: St. Martin’s University University St. Bonaventure: St. Bonaventure Univ. Seattle: Seattle University Michigan Sparkill: St. Thomas Aquinas College Spokane: Gonzaga University Florida Detroit: University of Detroit Mercy, Syracuse: LeMoyne College Miami Gardens: St. Thomas University Marygrove College Queens: St. John’s University West Virginia Miami Shores: Barry University Grand Rapids: Aquinas College Wheeling: Wheeling Jesuit University Ohio Hawaii Minnesota Cincinnati: Xavier University Wisconsin Honolulu: Chaminade University Collegeville: St. John’s University Cleveland Heights: John Carroll De Pere: St. Norbert College Duluth: College of St. Scholastica University Madison: Edgewood College Illinois Minneapolis: College of St. Catherine Dayton: University of Dayton Milwaukee: Alverno College, Chicago: DePaul University, Loyola St. Joseph: College of Saint Benedict Pepper Pike: Ursuline College Cardinal Stritch University, University, St. Xavier University St. Paul: St. Thomas University South Euclid: Notre Dame College Marquette University Joliet: University of St. Francis Winona: St. Mary’s University of Sylvania: Lourdes College River Forest: Dominican University in Minnesota Outside the U.S. Illinois Oregon Romeoville: Lewis University Missouri Marylhurst: Marylhurst University Canada Kansas City: Avila University, Portland: University of Portland Toronto: Regis College Indiana Rockhurst University Hammond: Calumet College St. Louis: Fontbonne University, Pennsylvania Notre Dame: Holy Cross College, Maryville University, Cresson: Mount Aloysius College Page 6 BONDINGS Vol. 39, No. 3 Priest's public letter supports Dignity Detroit in wake of bishop's ban

By Peter Feuerherd "We're not having liturgy because of Battersby's letter came after Cour- from the pulpit," he said. National Catholic Reporter the virus. But we are alive and well," he age representatives spoke to archdioce- "I don't see a need to preach about March 26, 2020 told NCR. san clergy and others at Sacred Heart sex from the pulpit," he noted, emphasiz- He said Dignity Detroit will contin- Seminary in Detroit. He wrote that Cour- ing that he focuses on the Sunday read- Even as no one in the Detroit Arch- ue to meet once the health crisis allows age represents church teaching, while ings. diocese is attending public Mass because meetings, and the group will accept of- Dignity is opposed to calling LGBT peo- He described the effort to expel Dig- of the coronavirus crisis, church officials fers from priests, including Clore, to ple to chaste lifestyles. The move to ex- nity from the archdiocese as part of a there have announced that members of celebrate Mass. Dignity Detroit has 66 pel Dignity and welcome Courage, he "witchhunt." Dignity, a support group for LGBT members, with a little more than half of said, is part of the archdiocese's wider In his letter to his fellow priests and Catholics, will no longer celebrate Cath- those attending the Sunday Mass. emphasis on evangelization. deacons, Clore suggested that the arch- olic liturgy together, even when the The Detroit case is similar to other "We seek to leave no one behind in bishop order clergy in the archdiocese to health crisis fades. examples around the country where Dig- our missionary transformation and to be welcoming to all, and not be suspi- But that mandate will have to con- nity has been pushed out of church facil- help everyone entrusted to our care find cious of gay people who come to the tend with the plans of Fr. Victor Clore, ities, said Marianne Duddy-Burke, exec- salvation," wrote Battersby. church. pastor of Christ the King Church in De- utive director of the national Dignity In a statement to NCR, Clore in part "If every parish is doing that there troit, who said in a public letter that he office. reassured the archbishop. "He doesn't would be no need for Dignity to meet," will continue to offer Mass for the group "There are few experiences as dev- have to worry about me preaching heresy he told NCR.  when the opportunity arises. astating as being kicked out of your fam- Clore, a priest for 54 years, said that ily home and being told you are not wor- denying access to Dignity is akin to thy of being fed," said Duddy-Burke. We can (and should) do better by our Catholic parishes in the 1960s who de- "That is what has happened to Dignity nied admission to African Americans, a members all across the country. Yet we Catholic LGBT school teachers time when he protested exclusion. have persisted in sustaining communities In a letter mailed March 19 to arch- that are graciously hosted by other de- By Luke Janicki recommend to the archbishop an in- diocesan priests and deacons, Clore de- nominations and have found ways to America formed approach to the ministerial cove- fended Dignity's ministry and called up- continue to celebrate the sacraments of June 23, 3030 nant that respects the first two goals. on church leaders to extend their wel- our church. We will do that in Detroit, if You can imagine the questions. come to all. necessary, and will not allow church As a gay Catholic teacher, I have Some Catholics wonder why being open- "It naturally occurs, in all cultures, leaders to deny LGBTQI Catholics our spent much of my life in a precarious ly LGBT is the predilect offense to the that a small but significant human right to our faith." balance. Growing up in a Catholic fami- covenant when other practices the church number of human persons Church leaders need a ly, going to Catholic schools, I know declares morally objectionable, such as have same-sex attraction. more expansive view of what it is like to balance my deep-seated using contraceptives, being divorced or It is not a disease or a human sexuality, said values as a practicing Catholic with the missing Mass on Sunday, do not provoke freak of nature. Same-sex Clore. "My main point is dictates of being a discerning gay person the same scrutiny. Non-Catholics on staff love is their natural way that human nature is dif- in potentially averse environments. And wonder how the covenant even legally for intimate sexual em- ferent in nature than ani- now the U.S. Supreme Court has applies to them. (The covenant may also brace," Clore wrote. mals copulating," he told ruled that LGBT workers are protected seem odd to the roughly 17 percent of "Some love involves NCR. "It's all about how by laws against sexual discrimination, Catholic school students nationwide who genital sexual expression; humans love each other." throwing the stance of U.S. bish- come from non-Catholic families.) Pri- other loving experiences But the archdiocese main- ops against the legal protection of LGBT vate battles of conscience brim to the do not — friendship, pro- tains that Dignity, open to workers at religious institutions into surface for staffers who know that a pun- fessional care such as all LGBTQ Catholics, sharper relief. ishment leveled at LGBT colleagues nursing, teaching, minis- including those who do According to New Ways Minis- could just as easily have been applied to try, etc. Nevertheless, we not accept church teach- try, more than 100 educators in Catholic themselves. . . . are sexual persons; our ing that they abstain from schools across the country have been My greatest hope for the task force sexuality is a part of our sexual activity, needs to removed since 2007 due to knowledge of is that its members recognize that this is identity, and sexual over- be called out on its lack of their same-sex relationships. In February, bigger than employee contracts. This is tones are a dynamic in eve- Father Victor Clore adherence to church teach- two of my faculty colleagues at Kennedy about vocations. This is about deciding ry relationship," he wrote. ing. Auxiliary Bishop Catholic High School in Burien, who gets to be what. . . . Clore, a teacher of spiritual direc- Gerard Battersby, in a March 9 letter to Wash., were asked to resign after their Some may still say there is no such tion, cautioned church leaders "to be priests and deacons in the archdiocese, same-sex partnerships were brought to thing as a “gay Catholic,” that the phrase aware of emotional and erotic impulses urged them not to offer Mass for Dignity the attention of our administration. is incongruous. To that, I cite Article 6 of to avoid getting entangled in imprudent, but to support Courage, a group for gay These dismissals are traumatizing the Catechism, Paragraph 2332, which I unethical, even illegal liaisons. Moreo- Catholics that promotes chastity. The for a school community regardless of have had bookmarked since I was a kid. ver, if we repress our sexuality, trying to archdiocese is led by Archbishop Allen whether one believes they are necessary. It states that “sexuality affects all aspects be asexual, we risk breaching sexual Vigneron. For the staff, it is a painful moment of of the human person in the unity of his boundaries, as happened in many sex- "As we endeavor to provide a cul- realizing too late that catechesis is what body and soul. It especially concerns abuse cases." ture of empathy and understanding we had been hoping for all along. Stu- affectivity, the capacity to love and to Dignity has been a Detroit fixture throughout the Archdiocese according to dents receive a blunt lesson in what procreate, and in a more general way the for more than four decades. It currently the light of the Gospel, it is essential that God’s justice looks like when no mercy aptitude for forming bonds in commun- meets at the campus chapel of Mary- the Church not seem to condone Dignity accompanies it. . . . ion with others.” In short, my sexuality is grove College, formerly operated by the Detroit's competing vision for growth in Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seat- entirely integrated with my personality, Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate holiness. While elements of that vision, tle responded to the res- my whole self. It cannot Heart of Mary. such as Dignity Detroit's outreach to the ignations of my col- be isolated, removed and Frank D'Amore, director of Dignity poor, are commendable, the organiza- leagues with a public examined as though it Detroit, said that the group has gathered tion's rejection of the Church's teaching statement in which he were a dispensable part. for Mass at Marygrove for more than on chastity is incompatible with the path said, “Pastors and church In his response letter to two decades and, before that, at a parish of sanctification on which Christ bids his leaders need to be clear our school community church in Detroit. He said that despite Church to travel and is at odds with the about the church’s teach- after the pastoral session, the archdiocesan mandate, the group will important work of the Courage and En- ing, while at the same Archbishop Etienne wrote continue. Courage apostolates," Battersby wrote. time refraining from that “hearing first-hand the making judgments, tak- hurt, frustration and confu- ing into consideration the sion was both helpful and Discrimination/Degradation: ‘Ministers’ complexity of people’s challenging.” I have been lived situations.” Arch- holding him to that chal- (Continued from page 3) credibility as a force for social justice in bishop Etienne also lis- lenge and I will continue fiercely contended one in Catholic the world. tened to our staff during a Luke Janicki to do so—even though I am school circles: some hew closely to en- So in siding with the schools, the pastoral visit in February losing count of how many forcing ecclesial rules and regulations, Court sided with the powerful against the and wrote us a sincere letter committing times I have gotten my hopes up over while others emphasize social justice and sick, the elderly, or any of the other cate- to assembling a task force “to look at language such as this only to be let down. an inclusive vision of care for all stu- gories of people a Catholic school might how we apply universal church teaching That’s okay. dents. But these cases weren’t about call “ministers” in order to be able to locally” and to “examine how we remain In the Archdiocese of Seattle, we Catholic identity in any usual sense since discard them. And as we know too well faithful to our mission in a dramatically will begin dialogue in the fall to help illness and age, the alleged forms of dis- at New Ways Ministry, one of the battles changing world.” An outside facilitator make our Catholic schools charitable crimination, have nothing to do with in Catholic schools involves teachers’ has already been selected. Talks will workplaces and engaged learning envi- issues of faith and morals. contracts that specifically call teachers begin in the fall. ronments. I urge you to join us by asking These cases were brought in part to “ministers” in order to be able to fire Employees at Catholic schools na- your bishops to do the same. set in judicial stone aspects of religious them if they are found to be LGBTQ tionwide are required to sign a morality First, let us pause the practice of employers’ powers over their employees. (especially if they marry) or LGBTQ clause, often known as a ministerial cov- removing gay faculty to initiate a search What is sad is the side the Catholic lead- allies. enant. It briefly states that we will adhere for understanding. The next steps will ership backed in these cases. The grand So, while LGBTQ people have been to church teaching and morality, though become clear, and possibilities include: tradition of a preferential option for the regarded as due the basic Title VII pro- its implementation and enforcement are coordinating task force recommendations poor, of turning a special eye to the tection from capricious employment dis- generally left unexplained. The covenant nationally; asking the U.S. Conference of needs of the less powerful which is man- crimination, this more recent decision will take center stage in the work of the Catholic Bishops to recognize the harm ifested over and over in Catholic Social emphasizes that LGBTQ teachers are not Seattle task force. The three charges that of the recurring LGBT faculty removal Teaching, was negated in these cases. protected in Catholic institutions that guide the mission of the task force are: decisions; unifying schools by standard- It’s not the first time, of course— cynically call them “ministers.” l (1) to study and discuss church teaching izing the catechetical certifications and the Catholic hierarchy’s collusions with and tradition as it relates to sexuality and morality clause disparities that systemi- the powerful in large matters and small Lisa Fullam teaches moral theolo- moral development; (2) to analyze the cally divide them; and seeking to address across history are too numerous to gy at the Jesuit School of Theology of opinions of archdiocesan stakeholders exclusionary language in the church that count—and cozying up to power usually Santa Clara University, California. (including students, families, alumni and enables any current injustice or break- winds up costing the Catholic Church the staff of archdiocesan schools) regard- down in God’s work.  ing the ministerial covenant; and (3) to Summer 2020 BONDINGS Page 7 What the church is doing to welcome Latino LGBT Catholics By J.D. Long-García protections for LGBT people, and 65 room at church designated for a meeting Later, his sister came out. America percent favored the legalization of same- for LGBT Catholics. But all sorts of peo- “I’ve been really privileged because June 12, 2020 sex marriage, according to a 2018 poll by ple would come to their home—nuns, people approach me,” he said. “What can the Public Religion Research Institute. priests and parents as well as gay and I say as a priest representing the church? [Excerpts from an article which can But there remained a generation gap, lesbian Catholics. For a while, they were What can I say to these people so they be found at www.americamagazine.org/ with 77 percent of Latino Catholics be- apparently the only Spanish-language can find a loving God, a merciful God, a faith/2020/06/12/what-church-doing- tween 18 and 29 supporting the legaliza- LGBT support group in the archdiocese. forgiving God? I pray a lot so that God welcome-latino-lgbt-catholics ] tion of same-sex marriage but only 42 “Our social reality has changed, and gives me the right words.” percent of those over 65. it requires the church to respond in a way Over the years, Father Alarcón has A young woman waited at the back The Plascencias were instrumental that is responsible and welcoming of the established support groups at parishes of the parish hall after a Spanish- in establishing the Always Our Children individual,” says Eddie De León, a Cla- and spoken about accepting LGBT Cath- language presentation at St. Clare’s outreach program in the Los Angeles retian priest who is chair of the depart- olics during homilies. He invites parish- Church in Santa Clarita, Calif. Javier and Archdiocese, an initiative that took its ment of spirituality and pastoral ministry ioners to reach out to him if they want to Martha Plascencia had just finished their name from the U.S. bishops’ 1997 let- at Chicago Theological Union. talk more about it. talk about the need for families to be “What I find is there is A man in his 70s once reached out to welcoming toward gay and lesbian Cath- often confusion, hurt, him to talk. “He told me his beautiful olics. lack of understanding,” story about discovering he was gay when The woman paced a little and Father De León says. he was 13,” Father Alarcón tells me in seemed reluctant to come forward, Mr. “All of us are children the rectory of St. Ferdinand Church in Plascencia recalls. The couple were of God, and this is a San Fernando, Calif. “He didn’t know packing up their materials when she fi- sanctity of life issue. what to do about it because all his life nally approached them. The bottom line is to he’s been gay [and had never told any- “I wish you would have come here offer hospitality and one]. He felt so bad. All those years, he two weeks ago,” she said. “Maybe then invite them in. And never dared to talk about it because he my friend wouldn’t have killed herself.” once they arrive, you was so scared.” That woman’s friend is one reason listen.” The intersection of faith, family and Catholic groups in cities like Los Ange- It is 2019, and Car- culture is central to Ismael Ruiz’s work les, San Antonio and New York are try- los Alarcón, an Oblate with LGBT Catholics in San Francisco, ing to overcome stigmas surrounding priest, is speaking including a young adult group in the Cas- homosexuality within the Latin Ameri- about LGBT ministry tro, long known as a gay neighborhood. can community. While the acceptance of in Spanish during A number of Latino participants say they LGBT individuals among both Latinos Martha and Javier Plascencia the Los Angeles Reli- moved to the area to be away from fami- and the general U.S. population has gious Education Con- lies that rejected them. Mr. Ruiz, who grown significantly over the last 10 ter to “parents of homosexual children.” gress, an annual convention that draws teaches religious studies at Sacred Heart years, according to the Pew Research In 2011, the couple started traveling tens of thousands of Catholics. Cate- High School in the city, says a number of Center, other studies suggest that young to a few parishes a month to give talks in chists, parents and youth ministers pack his students from Latino and Filipino Latinos face additional stressors coming both English and Spanish. the room for an often contentious dia- backgrounds struggle with the issue. from both ethnic and sexual identities. “We were able to bring a message of logue, especially during the question-and The Latino men he works with retain For example, Latinos may be espe- love and acceptance to people with dif- -answer period. Father Alarcón reads a devotional spirituality, he says. They cially uncomfortable with the prospect of ferent sexual orientations—and to their from different parts of theCatechism of pray the rosary, take part in processions, becoming estranged from their families parents,” Mr. Plascencia says. “There’s the Catholic Church. venerate Our Lady of Guadalupe and at- as a result of coming out. There also may no doubt in my mind that this ministry “This is what you have heard,” Fa- tend many Spanish-language celebrations be differences among families from dif- has saved lives. By going around like ther Alarcón says, referring to a couple with Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone. ferent Latin American countries and cul- itinerant messengers, this ministry has of paragraphs from the catechism, in- “They retain their identity as Latinos tures. Catholic ministries across the brought people together.” cluding No. 2357, which describes ho- and as Catholics, but their relationships country are trying to help Latino LGBT Their son, Xavier, came out to them mosexual acts as “contrary to the natural with their families are often broken be- Catholics and their families understand 15 years ago, when he was 29. Mr. and law.” These acts are not open to “the gift cause their families don’t feel [that their each other by working at this intersection Ms. Plascencia say they were very ac- of life” and are not to be approved, ac- two identities] fit together,” Mr. Ruiz of faith, culture and sexuality. cepting. cording to the catechism. says. Latinos tend to stay close to their Latinos in the United States—most “I told him, ‘You are my flesh and “This is what you have not heard,” families, he says, so losing contact is of whom were born here—made up near- blood and I carried you. How could I not he says, reading part of the paragraph hard. ly 18 percent of the country’s population accept you?’” Ms. Plascencia recalls, that follows in the catechism: “They “We need to understand that there in 2015, according to the Pew Research with tears. Both parents regret that their must be accepted with respect, compas- are a lot of church teachings: social jus- Center. Though growth has slowed in son did not come out earlier. sion and sensitivity. Every sign of un- tice, love of neighbor. [Catholics] have a recent years, Latinos continue to be the Mr. and Ms. Plascencia also used to just discrimination in their regard tool called conscience that helps them to largest ethnic minority in the United host support groups in their living room, should be avoided.” decide what to do,” Mr. Ruiz says. States, and about half of the community finding that many people felt more com- The priest has a long history with “There are honest Catholics, Hispanic or is Catholic. Among Latino Catholics, 70 fortable there than in church. Mr. Plas- LGBT Catholics. After he entered the not, who are trying to be good, queer percent supported nondiscrimination cencia explained that people are often seminary, his brother came out to him. Catholics.”  afraid or ashamed to be seen going into a How a Son and Daughter Responded to a Gay Dad Coming Out

By Mark Clark Rachel are highly motivated, extraordi- nephews and, of course, my ex-wife. last few years. I included describing my Bondings 2.0 narily bright, attractive, creative people. Fast forward a few years. I was now sadness at breaking up with a male part- NewWaysMinistry.org/blog Sean took up magic at the age of seven at a point of having the one sibling to ner the year before. After I stopped, she June 21, 2020 and quickly became proficient. Rachel whom I had let my secret slip to pledge started to tear up. I wondered if I had displayed a gift for secrecy. The next made a terrible mistake. No. She was On this Father’s Day, some 34 years dance that was recog- phase of my plan upset, she said, because of the news of after the death of my own father, I re- nized by amateur and was to speak in the break-up I had related. She recalled flect on my two amazing children, who professional instruc- person to the other my being sad at just about that time. She were the best enablers I could hope for tors over many years. five and their now realized why I was feeling low when I came out as a gay man. The last thing I would spouses. I managed back then. My marriage ended for reasons hav- wish on them was these steps without Being a gay father has meant many ing nothing to do with my sexual orien- being the cause of a hitch. Then I was things to me, including becoming a tation. In fact, I was not even fully trauma in their lives. left with my son, grandfather four times. I am one of a aware that I was a gay man when we I would obsess his wife, and my growing number of gay men with chil- parted ways after more than 15 years of over the thought of daughter, just out of dren. The experience of fatherhood is a married life. It gradually dawned on me how I would have high school. My privilege that I treasure. I will always that I was not the straight man I had reacted if my father son and daughter-in cherish moments like when Sean and I been simulating all my life. had dropped on me -law joined me for held our breath together while he glued As improbable as it may seem, my and my six siblings dinner at my house. a fragile crosspiece onto a balsa wood Catholic upbringing and schooling had that he was gay. That Afterward, I told bridge for an “Odyssey of the Mind” little to do with why I held back well would have been life them I had some- project. I love the memory of picking into my fifties. The hostility of bishops altering. I reasoned thing to share with out Rachel as she entered the stage for a and many other clerics was off-putting that telling my chil- them, and we sat pre-school dance recital. to be sure. Yet those negative, some- dren I’m gay would Mark Clark with around the table. It But nothing gives me greater satis- times cruel, rebuffs from the leaders of surely stun them like his granddaughter, Lyla was one of the tens- faction than the pride and dignity of my native church had been baked into dropping a pallet of est moments of my having two children as positive about my psyche from an early age with hard- bricks on them. Would life, although I had my sexual orientation as mine are. Part ly any conscious notice. they break down? Express resentment or tried to conceal my anxiety, and I hadn’t of the reason for their affirmative re- What did matter to me, quite a bit, anger? hinted that what I was going to say was sponse is no doubt owing to their being were the feelings of my family mem- Unfortunately, I had plenty of time cause for dismay. Both were affirming mature enough to process the revelation. bers. As years passed in my newly sin- to stew over this. For one thing, I was and supportive, bless their hearts. When But I also think they are two very spe- gle life, one or another sibling would try determined that they would hear about it I raised the issue of telling my daughter, cial and especially sensitive persons. to be helpful in setting me up on blind only directly from me. I was also intent they suggested that I do so in their pres- I say that, of course, with no bias dates. Sparks never flew, and from those on not burdening Rachel, who was still ence to make it more comfortable for whatsoever.  trial runs, so to speak, I confirmed my in high school, until at least she had her. This proposal turned out to be pres- misgivings about wanting to find anoth- graduated. High schoolers have plenty ciently helpful. Mark Clark is a retired journalist er partner of the opposite sex. of life challenges to cope with without When the four of us were together I who is a regular volunteer at New Ways My greatest apprehension during my adding one of this magnitude. So, to told Rachel that I had something to tell Ministry, a member of Dignity/ this time was if my kids, Sean, then 24, make sure that I would be the one to tell her that I hoped would not be upsetting. Washington, and the Board treasurer of and Rachel, then 17, could deal with them, I had to keep my secret from my I told her “I am gay,” and described a bit BHT Foundation their father being gay. Both Sean and siblings, siblings-in-law, nieces and of what I had been going through the Page 8 BONDINGS Vol. 39, No. 2 Theologian explains the truth about the ‘boogeyman’ of ‘gender ideology’ Fr. Daniel Horan, OFM feelings and wants." called experts on gender theory have sued a clear warning against "spiritual The National Catholic Reporter But as University of Chicago law done concerning the origins and parame- worldliness," which included an admoni- June 24, 2020 professor Mary Anne Case notes in ters of the theories they deplore." In oth- tion against those with "an ostentatious a recent scholarly article titled "Trans er words, it is demonstrably clear that preoccupation for the liturgy, for doc- Often over the course of two millen- Formations in the Vatican's War on those who invoke "gender ideology" gen- trine and for the Church's prestige, but nia, when church teaching has come up 'Gender Ideology,' " the Vatican, in its erally don't know what they are talking without any concern that the Gospel have against developments about the human capacity as a non-governmental agency about. Such folks would do well to listen a real impact on God's faithful people person and in the natural sciences, there and a religious institution, has for dec- to leading scholars on the subjects of sex and the concrete needs of the present have been those who rallied to decry ades sought to discredit LGBTQ rights and gender, like Judith Butler of Univer- time. In this way, the life of the Church such humanistic advances as "heretical," movements and influence developments sity of California, Berkeley, instead turns into a museum piece or something "threatening," "unfounded," or "against in secular law globally. . . . of attacking her and other experts. which is the property of a select few." the natural law." Case explains, "Pope Francis's popu- That the term itself is unclear apart The irony here is that the presenta- History has witnessed this in terms larity and appeal beyond traditional con- from signaling the deprecatory agenda of tion of a nearly eight centuries-old un- of the Catholic Church's resistance to servatives, as well as his highlighting of its users should be reason enough for derstanding of the human person that is recognizing the full humanity of Indige- trans[gender] issues in particular, has people of faith to reject it and the pro- somehow complete in itself apart from nous people, to rejecting the abject im- whatever we might learn about humanity morality of chattel slavery, and to em- or the world subsequently is exactly the bracing the universal human right of reli- reduction of the faith to a "museum gious liberty, just to name three exam- piece." Such an artifact may be appealing ples of the church's institutional sinful- and worth study, but it says very little ness and its slow course to correction. about reality as we understand it today. Today we are seeing a similar dy- Finally, one of the common refrains namic play out in real time as it deleteri- issued by pastoral leaders that condemn ously affects LGBTQ people in the "gender ideology" and level harsh criti- church and broader society. The phrase cism of LGBTQ persons and their allies "gender ideology" has become a rallying is that they are doing so from a position cry for such discrimination and defense of pastoral concern and Christian love. . . of inexcusably outdated anthropological Call it what you like, but such foundations. In certain Catholic contexts, claims appear tantamount to a physically recourse to "gender ideology" is placed or emotionally abusive parent, spouse, or in opposition to what is presented as a partner claiming that their violence is static, universal, Aristotelian-Thomistic grounded in a place of "tough love." In anthropology, which is understood to be the end, it's still simply abuse. immutable and divinely revealed. The time is long overdue to reject However, the real problematic ideol- specious arguments like those that under- ogy at work today is the uncritical pro- allowed the specific language of opposi- gram of hate and ignorance it represents. gird the right-wing political and ecclesial motion of 13th century pseudo-science tion to 'gender ideology' and the rhetori- But there are also several deep-seated agendas promoting the boogeyman of and ancient philosophical theories that, cal and pseudo-scholarly apparatus asso- ironies that indicate the hypocrisy at "gender ideology." As we continue to while interesting and influential, are no ciated with it finally to begin to take root work beneath the surface. learn more from natural and social sci- longer sufficient to account for important in the United States," which explains the First, one of the common moves ences about the wondrous diversity of developments in human knowledge and recent rise in the phrase's usage. This people who invoke "gender ideology" God's creation, including the manifold experience since the Middle Ages. trend is notable in light of the recent Su- make is to suggest it is a new fad intend- experiences and identities within the The phrase "gender ideology" is preme Court decision, which extends ed to corrupt unsuspecting individuals. human family, all members of the church used in both religious and secular con- workplace protections to LGBTQ people As I mentioned above, the "solution" to — but especially those entrusted with texts, but I am most interested in how it under Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights the "problem" of insights arising from leadership — must approach such new is deployed in Catholic circles to cause Act, because the U.S. bishops' confer- studies about sex and gender is to hold understandings with humility. This re- grave harm to people already made vul- ence statement on the ruling alludes to up Thomas Aquinas' philosophical an- quires being open to experiences and nerable in an unjust society. The most themes frequently associated with so- thropology as the corrective and only narratives that are perhaps unlike one's recent and visible invocation of this called "gender ideology." solution. . . . own in a spirit of true dialogue, and this phrase by a Vatican office occurred last Among the many troubling aspects Today theologians ought to be given will demand a willingness on the part of June when the "Congregation for Catho- of this derogatory phrase and the agenda the latitude to follow a contemporary the hearer to be changed in heart and lic Education" issued a document decry- it represents is the ambiguity of the term version of Aquinas' methodology, taking mind.  ing the rise of "gender ideology" and itself. There are no two sources that the best resources from the received the- cautioning Catholic educational institu- agree on what precisely "gender ideolo- ological tradition but also the informed Fr. Daniel P. Horan, OFM, is the tions against succumbing to what it char- gy" means, and Case explains that "the insights of experts in various fields of Duns Scotus Chair of Spirituality at acterized as "nothing more than a con- multiplicity and variety [of definitions human knowledge. Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. fused concept of freedom in the realm of and genealogies] also indicate how very Second, in his 2013 apostolic exhor- little actual scholarly work Catholic so- tation Evangelii Gaudium, Francis is- Let’s Have Gay and Lesbian Couples Lead Catholic Pre-Cana Programs

By Cristina Traina children grow up seeing changing the oil afterward than different-sex couples. popes’ insistence on the different “char- Bondings 2.0 in the car and folding the laundry as “Even in ordinary daily interactions, isms” of “masculinity” and “femininity” NewWaysMinistry.org/blog equally women’s work, or making dinner people in same-sex unions use more pos- can sabotage their official support for April 16, 2020 and fixing the lawnmower as equally itive methods of influencing a partner… equality, and how same-sex couples can men’s work. than individuals in different-sex partner- show us the way. Catholic same-sex partners might be Intriguingly, same-sex couples are ships, offering encouragement and praise Coontz does leave some important the ideal leaders of the US Catholic also more likely to split particular tasks rather than criticism, lectures or appeals questions unanswered. For instance, why Church’s Pre-Cana programs for straight rather than slip into ruts. And they also to guilt.” do children of gay couples receive 20 engaged couples. Why so? As historian spend more child-focused time with their Why did the same-sex couples in the minutes more focused attention per day Stephanie Coontz wrote in The New York than children of lesbian couples? Is Times recently, “many different-sex cou- men’s greater earning power (which may ples would have happier and more satis- translate to working fewer hours) a fac- fying marriages if they took a few les- tor? Clearly the world’s unequal esteem sons from their same-sex counterparts.” for men and women has an impact even As Coontz shows, “sharing domestic in gay and lesbian homes. tasks has become an increasingly im- But the larger truth still stands: portant component of marital stability, Overall, heterosexual marriage is still and lack of sharing an increasingly pow- burdened by mutually reinforcing, de- erful predictor of conflict.” And hetero- structive personal habits and social ine- sexual couples don’t tend to share tasks qualities—otherwise known as sin. If as well as gay and lesbian couples do. It the Catholic Church really wants mutual- turns out that mid-twentieth-century gen- ly respectful, egalitarian marriages, same der roles still follow straight people into -sex couples are the most consistent marriage—if not initially, once children models out there. How about it, Pre-Cana arrive. Psychologist Darcy Lockman directors? cites recent data showing that in hetero- The irony stands, too. If the Catholic sexual marriages both men and women Church wants to break the grip that sex- tend to feel household labor and child- ism and injustice still have on heterosex- care are appropriately divided if the hus- ual marriage, the LGBTQ community is band does half as much as the wife. children than straight parents do. studies embrace this healthier style of ready with a model that comes closer to Unsurprisingly, as Coontz notes, Perhaps most unexpectedly, same- disagreement? “Possibly because they Pope John Paul II’s and Pope Francis’s women in heterosexual marriages are the sex couples handle conflict differently did not bring the same history of power ideal than straight marriages do. And yet most stressed group among all married than straight couples. Coontz writes, inequalities to the table,” Coontz says. gay and lesbian couples are said to be people. And that stress is correlated with “John Gottman and Robert Leven- To be sure, the Catholic Church living in sin and are denied the sacra- poor relationships. 41 percent of women son found that gays and lesbians who teaches that the historical power inequal- ment of marriage. How about it, Pope who do all the dishes say their marriages discussed a disagreement with their part- ities of sexism are evil. In his letter on Francis?  are in trouble, for instance. ner did so in less belligerent, domineer- marriage, Pope Francis laments “the ex- By contrast, same-sex couples don’t ing and fearful ways than different-sex cesses of patriarchal cultures,” celebrat- Cristina Traina is a professor of slide into gender-stereotyped housekeep- individuals….Same-sex couples used ing instead “the equal dignity of men and religious studies at Northwestern Uni- ing and childcare roles because they more affection and humor while discuss- women.” Even Pope John Paul II insisted versity, Evanston, Illinois. can’t. The distinction between “men’s” ing their disagreements, became less on gender equality in marriage. But and “women’s” work is pointless. Their agitated and calmed down more quickly Coontz’s research suggests how the