Minneapolis, Minn., Jun 25, 2008 / 03:00 am
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has forbidden one of its parishes, St. Joan of Arc Church, from holding a “gay pride” prayer service because the event violates the teachings of the Church.
St. Joan of Arc Church has held the service for several years in conjunction with the Twin Cities Pride Celebration, according to the Associated Press. After discussions between the parish’s associate pastor and the archdiocese, the parish will hold a “peace” service in its place.
An announcement last week in the St. Joan of Arc parish bulletin said that a prayer service had been scheduled in the church for Wednesday at 7 p.m. “to celebrate and give thanks for the gifts of our Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgendered community.”
“This service is part of Pride week in the Twin Cities,” the announcement continued.
Archdiocesan spokesman Dennis McGrath said that the service’s use of the descriptor “LGBT” was “not possible on church property.”
“We suggested they shift it, change the nature of it a little bit, and they did," McGrath continued. “The reason is quite simply because it was a LGBT pride prayer service, and that is really inimical to the teachings of the Catholic Church.”