Regional

Indianapolis Catholic high school reach settlement with fired gay teacher

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INDIANAPOLIS — Cathedral High School, which gained national attention when it fired a gay teacher to meet the Catholic archdiocese’s policy, has reached a settlement with their former employee. RTV6, an ABC affiliate in Indianapolis, reported that the school had reached a separation settlement with the teacher and will be helping them find a new job. From RTV6:
The teacher, who wishes to not be identified, was fired last month from Cathedral, per orders from the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, for being in a same-sex marriage. A little over two weeks later, the two parties have found “mutual satisfaction” that will “benefit of both parties.” According to a statement by Delaney & Delaney, the school is working with the teacher to help with future employment options for the teacher.

Chicagoland

Alternative Catholic church to hold Pride Mass this weekend

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PALATINE — An alternative Catholic style church is holding a Pride Mass this weekend. The Daily Herald reported that Agape Community of New Hope will host a service at 5 p.m. Saturday at Countryside Church Unitarian Universalist, 1025 N. Smith St. The church was co founded by Colin Collette after he was fired from as a music director at a Catholic church five years ago. He’d announced his engagement to a man. From the Daily Herald:

Mass will be celebrated by a member of the organization Roman Catholic Womenpriests.

Regional

Michigan Methodists vote for pro-LGBTQ policy

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TRAVERSE CITY — The Michigan conference of the United Methodist Church voted last Saturday to fully include LGBTQ people in the church. TV station WPBN/WGTU reported that the conference was held to discuss the international UMC conference that voted to follow a much more restrictive and punitive policy for LGBTQ members. From WPBN/WGTU:
By more than two-thirds margin, 819 (68%) to 377 (32%), the body approved the visionary GCR 2019-2- Aspirations for The Michigan Annual Conference; “The Michigan Annual Conference aspires to live into an expression of Methodism that includes LGBTQIA people in full life and membership of the UMC.”

According to the Michigan church leaders, this measure aspires to promote reconciliation and focus on mission, rather than focus on trials and investigation based on sexual orientation. A request for declaratory decision on the constitutionality of this resolution will be acted upon by Bishop David Bard within 30 days. Straw poll, GCR 2019-3, was approved after chair of the Michigan Conference Leadership Council, Amy Mayo-Moyle, requested it be taken.

Regional

Ohio university cuts ties with Methodists over LGBTQ issues

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BEREA, Ohio — The board of trustees for Baldwin Wallace University ended the schools formal ties with the United Methodist Church last week. According to a press release from the school, the board vote came in response to the conference decision in February to tighten church prohibitions on same-sex marriage and exclusion of LGBTQ people from clergy. The board also sought input from faculty, staff, students and alumni before today’s vote. “BW’s Methodist founders were committed to inclusion 174 years ago,” said Charles Rotuno, chair of the board of trustees. “While we value the relationship that we have had with the United Methodist Church, we’ve concluded that becoming an independent university will allow the BW community to continue to fully embrace and embody the values of diversity and inclusion today and always.”

A Methodist chapel will remain part of the campus and a Methodist minister will remain as chaplain.

National

Methodist confirmation class rejects church over LGBTQ bans

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OMAHA — A Methodist confirmation class in Omaha is refusing to join the denomination over its stance on LGBTQ issues. The Religion News Service reported that eight teenagers, aged 13 and 14, told the congregation on this past Sunday that they do not want to become members at this time. They called the United Methodist Church’s bans on same-sex weddings and LGBTQ clergy immoral and unjust. “We are concerned that if we join at this time, we will be sending a message that we approve of this decision,” the confirmation class wrote in a letter read to the congregation. “We want to be clear that, while we love our congregation, we believe the United Methodist policies on LGBTQ+ clergy and same-sex marriage are immoral.”

RNS reported that the congregation gave the teens a standing ovation.

National

Methodist panel upholds LGBTQ bans

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NEW YORK — The United Methodist Church’s Judicial Panel upheld parts of a plan that bans LGBTQ clergy and weddings last week. The Associated Press reported on Friday that conservatives welcomed the decision while liberal and centrist opponents of the plan were dismayed. The UMC voted during a February meeting in St. Louis, turning down a plan called One Church that would have put LGBTQ issues to individual churches. The conservative plan that was voted for in February and upheld last week is the Traditional Plan.

Features

A thousand years ago, the Catholic Church paid little attention to homosexuality

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Lisa McClain, Boise State University

Pope Francis has spoken openly about homosexuality. In a recent interview, the pope said that homosexual tendencies “are not a sin.” And a few years ago, in comments made during an in-flight interview, he said,
“If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”
However, the pope has also discouraged homosexual men from entering the priesthood. He categorically stated in another interview that for one with homosexual tendencies, the “ministry or the consecrated life is not his place.”

Many gay priests, when interviewed by The New York Times, characterized themselves as being in a “cage” as a result of the church’s policies on homosexuality. As a scholar specializing in the history of the Catholic Church and gender studies, I can attest that 1,000 years ago, gay priests were not so restricted. In earlier centuries, the Catholic Church paid little attention to homosexual activity among priests or laypeople.

Features

The Mormon Church still doesn’t accept same-sex couples – even if it no longer bars their children

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Taylor Petrey, Kalamazoo College

Top leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have reversed a policy that prevented minor children of same-sex married couples from joining the church and participating in its sacred rituals since 2015. Many conservative churches oppose same-sex relationships and have done so with increased intensity since the second half of the 20th century. In the case of Latter-day Saints, the reasons for opposing same-sex marriage are based in their theology of a “real family,” as willed by God. However, as a scholar of gender and sexuality in Mormonism, I argue that the 2015 decision to bar children of same-sex parents from the church was tied to the conservative fight against same-sex marriage that was finding an increasing acceptance at the time in courts and elsewhere. Mormon theology
Mormon theology is based on a divine heterosexual archetype that sets the pattern for all intimate human relationships.

Central Illinois

Central Illinois Methodist churches deal with impact after anti-LGBTQ vote

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SPRINGFIELD — United Methodist churches in Springfield and Bloomington dealt with the impact after last week’s vote for the denomination to strengthen anti-LGBTQ rules. Rockford area Methodist ministers also pushed back last week. Hope Church in Bloomington was disappointed in the vote. From CentralIllinoisProud.com:

“There are a lot of churches who will say anyone is welcome through the door. You can get a handshake, you can drink the coffee but are you fully involved in the life of the church?