News

LGBT Catholics welcome Francis’ comments on marriage

Pontiff says church has grown ‘obsessed’ with gay nuptials, abortion

Published

13 years ago

September 20, 2013

Pope Francis

LGBT Catholics have welcomed Pope Francis’ comments that the church has grown “obsessed” with same-sex marriage, abortion and contraception.

“We find much to be hopeful about, particularly in the Pope’s firm desire that the church be a ‘home for all people,’ and his belief that God looks on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people with love rather than condemnation,” Dignity USA Executive Director Marianne Duddy-Burke said in a statement on Thursday after America, a Jesuit magazine, published the pontiff’s extensive interview with with Rev. Antonio Spadaro, editor-in-chief of La Civiltà Cattolica, an Italian Jesuit magazine, that took place during three separate meetings last month in Rome.

Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry in Mount Rainier, Md., said Francis’ comments amount to a “new dawn” for the Catholic Church.

“Pope Francis’ words and example have opened up new opportunities for the Catholic Church to welcome and dialogue with LGBT people,” DeBernardo said. “His words will give courage and hope to thousands of pastoral ministers and Catholic faithful who have been doing this work for many decades, but who have often received penalties and discouragements from church leaders who did not share this pope’s broad vision.”

Francis’ comments come less than two months after he told reporters who asked him about the reported homosexuality of the man whom he appointed to oversee the Vatican bank on his flight back to Rome after a week-long trip to Brazil for World Youth Day that gay men and lesbians should not be judged or marginalized. The Argentine-born pontiff reiterated this statement during his interview with Spadaro.

“In life, God accompanies persons, and we must accompany them, starting from their situation,” Francis said. “It is necessary to accompany them with mercy. When that happens, the Holy Spirit inspires the priest to say the right thing.”

A spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Washington told the Washington Blade that Cardinal Donald Wuerl was traveling on Thursday and did not have any comment on Francis’ statements.

“He is a man who profoundly believes in the mercy of a loving God, and who wants to bring that message of mercy to the entire world, including those who feel that they have been wounded by the church,” New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan said in a statement. “As a priest and a bishop, I particularly welcome his reminder that the clergy are primarily to serve as shepherds, to be with our people, to talk with them, to be pastors, not bureaucrats.”

Dolan, who is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, further discussed the pontiff’s comments on “CBS This Morning” on Friday.

“If we keep [a] kind of a negative, finger-wagging tone, it’s counterproductive,” Dolan said.

LGBT Catholics greeted Francis’ election in March to succeed Pope Benedict XVI, who vehemently opposed same-sex marriage and condom use to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and enforced the Vatican’s moral doctrine before ascending the papacy, with cautious optimism.

Francis, who is the former archbishop of Buenos Aires, in 2001 visited a hospice to kiss and wash the feet of 12 people with AIDS. He told Spadero he used to receive letters from gay people who said they were “socially wounded” because they felt “like the church has always condemned them.”

“The church does not want to do this,” Francis told Spadero.

The pontiff was among those who led the opposition to Argentina’s same-sex marriage law that President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner signed in 2010. Francis described the measure as a “machination of the Father of Lies that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God” before Argentine lawmakers approved it.

Fernández herself criticized then-Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio’s comments against the measure that included references to it as a “demonic plan.” Francis also called for a “holy war” against the gay marriage bill.

“He says not to interfere with the lives of gays, but in the countries where lawmakers are debating laws of equality, the Catholic hierarchy lobbies ferociously to ensure that these laws don’t advance (the same pope played a part of this in Argentina,)” Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Federation of Argentina President Esteban Paulón told the Blade on Friday. “This leads us to ask ourselves who is the Pope? Is he the same Bergoglio of the holy war and demonic plan (about marriage equality) or the ‘compassionate’ Francis toward gays.”

Even though it appears Francis’ comments will have no impact on Catholic teachings on same-sex marriage and other social issues, Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin on Thursday wrote to Dolan as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Knights of Columbus CEO Carl Anderson. He urged them to end their public opposition to pro-LGBT measures.

“Doing anything less will put you in direct conflict with Pope Francis’ message of welcome and mercy — and create an even greater gulf between you and the broad majority of the American Catholic laity, who support their LGBT neighbors’ freedom to marry the person they love in a civil ceremony,” Griffin wrote.

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Hungary

New Hungarian prime minister takes office

Péter Magyar’s party defeated anti-LGBTQ Viktor Orbán last month

Published

5 hours ago

May 9, 2026

Michael K. Lavers

Péter Magyar votes in Budapest, Hungary on April 12, 2026. He has been sworn in as the country's new prime minister. (Screen capture via APT/YouTube)

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar took office on Saturday.

Magyar’s center-right Tisza party on April 12 defeated then-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz-KDNP coalition. Vice President JD Vance less than a week before the election traveled to Budapest, the Hungarian capital, and urged Hungarians to support Orbán.

Orbán had been in office since 2010. He and his government faced widespread criticism over its anti-LGBTQ crackdown.

The European Commission in 2022 sued Hungary, which is a member of the EU, over the country’s anti-LGBTQ propaganda law. The European Union’s top court, the EU Court of Justice, on April 21 struck down the statute.

The EU while Orbán was office withheld upwards of €35 billion ($41.26) in funds to Hungary in response to concerns over corruption, rule of law, and other issues.

Hungarian lawmakers in March 2025 passed a bill that banned Pride events and allowed authorities to use facial recognition technology to identify those who participate in them. MPs later amended the Hungarian constitution to ban public LGBTQ events.

Upwards of 100,000 people last June defied the ban and marched in Budapest’s annual Pride parade.

“Congratulations to [Péter Magyar] on becoming prime minister of Hungary,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on X.

“This Europe Day, our hearts are in Budapest,” she added. “The hope and promise of renewal is a powerful signal in these challenging times.”

“We have important work ahead of us,” noted von der Leyen. “For Hungary and for Europe, we are moving forward together.”

Local

Comings & Goings

Whitman-Walker honors Rep. Sarah McBride

Published

1 day ago

May 8, 2026

Peter Rosenstein

U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected].

Congratulations to Congresswoman Sarah McBride (D-Del.) on being honored with this year’s Stonewall Award from Whitman-Walker Health. Amy Nelson, senior director of Legal Services, said, “Congresswoman Sarah McBride is working to make healthcare accessible to all, and this award recognizes her support of healthcare as a human right. Our legal program supports families facing unprecedented challenges to stay healthy and safe – families that Congresswoman McBride champions with a deep understanding of the issues they face and the legislative expertise of how to support them.”

McBride, in a press release, said, “I am honored to accept this year’s Stonewall Award from Whitman-Walker Health — an organization that has spent 40 years doing vital work to ensure every person can access the dignity of care. In the wealthiest and most developed nation on earth, the ability to receive care should not be a matter of luck—it should be the law of the land. I am proud to be recognized as a partner in this work and to support Whitman-Walker Health in their mission to build a healthier society for all.”

Congratulations also to Wes Drummond who will join Clear Space Theatre Company in Rehoboth Beach, Del., as its third artistic director. Managing Director Joe Gfaller said, “This is an exciting moment of growth for Clear Space as we welcome Wes to join our remarkable team. I am confident he will be an excellent partner as we work with our entire staff, board, and committed team of volunteers, to ensure Clear Space can achieve its full potential in pursuit of our mission to unite and enrich our community through every production on stage, and every arts-based learning program we offer throughout our community.”

On accepting the position Drummond said, “I’m honored to join Clear Space Theatre Company as artistic director, and beyond excited for what we’re about to create together. Clear Space has established itself as a vital and vibrant part of the cultural life of coastal Delaware, and I feel incredibly fortunate to step into this next chapter alongside such a passionate and dedicated team. Rehoboth Beach is a place defined by creativity and community, and I look forward to listening, learning, and building meaningful relationships across the region in the months ahead. My vision is to help Clear Space continue to grow as a bold, forward-thinking, cultural force, that champions fearless storytelling.”

Drummond served in leadership roles at Duluth Playhouse in Duluth, Minn., from 2021 to 2026, including four years as executive director followed by one year as executive producing artistic director, guiding the organization through a period of significant transformation and stability in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a director, he has worked extensively in New York City, Chicago, and at regional theaters across the country, directing both musical theater and plays with a focus on storytelling that bridges classical works with contemporary perspectives. He has collaborated with leading figures in the industry, including Tony Award-winning director Matthew Warchus, and Tony-nominated director Michael Greif. He is an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

Wes earned his MFA in directing, Penn State University, where he studied under Tony-nominated director, Susan H. Schulman.