An Eastertide of Good News!

Happy Eastertide! I love reading good news!

Seem like folks at all levels of the institutional Church are stepping up this past week.

Cardinal Schoenborn (a former pupil of the Pope and top cleric) has decided to overule a priest’s decision to ban a gay man from a parish council, saying he’s a good guy. He has a partner and was overwhelmingly supported by fellow parishoners.

Joseph Amodeo made a powerful witness Holy Saturday by resigning from the Junior Council of Catholic Charities in New York in response to Archbishop Dolan’s anti-gay statements. Archbishop Dolan is the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Catholics United a group of progressive Catholics have started a pro-lgbt fund, in the wake of withdrawl of funds from progressive charities by Bishops. ‘With Charity for All‘ will donate all proceeds Charity Companeros, a leading immigration resource centre that is part of a coalition that supports LGBT initiatives.

Finally, a priest has publicly stated that he will not distribute  USCCB letters containing anti-gay statements because he believes it ‘proves hurtful and seriously divisive in our community’.

How do we clergy to make similar statements? I asked a similar question on Terence Weldon’s blog Queering the Church.

He says that the Pope is slowly paving the way for official changes. I am skeptical, but more than ready, and open to the possibility of a true Eastertide for all of us queer Catholics.

Keep the faith!