Washington D.C., Jan 5, 2018 / 12:05 pm
Several Catholic bishops' call for clarity and compassion on sexual identity issues such as transgenderism drew the ire of a dissenting Catholic group which is part of a well-funded LGBT activism network.
New Ways Ministry's executive director Francis DeBernardo encouraged his group's supporters Dec. 18 to write the four bishops who signed the recent letter. Claiming gender transition helps people "become closer to God," he said the letter is "denying transgender experience" and "promotes a false scenario about how gender topics are being taught to children."
The Dec. 15 letter "Created Male and Female" was published on the website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Catholic signers included Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, who chairs the U.S. bishops' Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth; Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, chair of the bishops' Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage; Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, chair of the bishops' Committee for Religious Liberty; and Bishop Joseph Bambera of Scranton, who chairs the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.
Other signers included religious leaders from Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Baptist, and Muslim backgrounds.