gay rights
ANALYSIS: Did Obama finally thread the needle on gay rights and religious freedom?
By David Gibson — July 21, 2014
(RNS) The result was a split-the-baby solution that largely pleased Obama’s gay rights supporters while mollifying some religious critics and leaving enough ambiguity to blunt the opposition of more hard-line foes.
Southern Baptists oppose gender reassignment
By Adelle M. Banks — June 10, 2014
BALTIMORE (RNS) Southern Baptists voted to affirm "God’s good design" that gender is set by biology, "not by one’s self-perception.”
Notre Dame signals welcome to gay athletes in new campaign
By David Gibson — May 8, 2014
(RNS) The Catholic Church has taken a lot of heat over its stance against gay rights and for policies that often bar openly gay people from participating in church life. But the University of Notre Dame, an icon of American Catholicism, is going against the flow by supporting student athletes who come out as gay.
ANALYSIS: Can Pope Francis help ‘reset’ frayed ties between Obama and the Catholic bishops?
By David Gibson — March 24, 2014
(RNS) The potential for a robust alliance between the White House and the nation's largest church fizzled almost from the start of Obama’s candidacy in 2007, and a relationship that started badly went downhill when he was elected.
Kansas, Arizona bills reflect national fight over gay rights vs. religious liberty
By Sarah Pulliam Bailey — February 21, 2014
(RNS) Fights in Arizona and Kansas about denying services to gays and lesbians mirrors the national debate on whether the religious rights of business owners also extend to their for-profit companies.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio won’t march in St. Patrick’s Day parade
By Lauren Markoe — February 4, 2014
(RNS) New York Mayor Bill de Blasio won't march down Fifth Avenue in the city's famed St. Patrick's Day parade because he opposes organizers' ban on marchers holding gay pride signs.
The pope and the president: What to look for in the Obama-Francis summit
By David Gibson — January 21, 2014
(RNS) What will the two leaders talk about? What issues will they avoid? With Pope Francis, anything is possible, but here are some initial ideas on how the summit could play out.
ANALYSIS: Yes, the pope is still Catholic, despite what you heard
By David Gibson — January 7, 2014
(RNS) The Vatican once again has had to dispel media reports that went well beyond what Pope Francis actually said. With this pope, it probably won't be the last time.
Students, alumni rally around fired gay teacher at Catholic school
By David Gibson — December 13, 2013
(RNS) The publicity over the firing of a gay teacher at a Catholic school is likely to complicate efforts by church leaders like New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who said this month that the bishops have been “outmarketed” on gay rights and “caricatured as being anti-gay.”
Catholic high school fires teacher who applied for gay marriage license
By David Gibson — December 9, 2013
(RNS) Michael Griffin says that at the suburban Philadelphia Catholic high school where he worked for more than a decade it was no secret that he is gay, but when he told administrators that he was going to marry his partner he was fired. The episode is the latest in a string of similar incidents, and it came just a week after New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan said the church is not “anti-gay” but has been “outmarketed” on the issue of gay marriage.
Atheism is not the “new gay marriage” (or the new anything else)
By Chris Stedman — December 6, 2013
A few months ago, Bill Maher made a claim that I regularly hear from other atheists: “[Atheists are] out there, they’re thinking it, they’re just afraid to say it. But that’s changing,” he said. “It’ll be the new gay marriage.” He’s certainly not the first person to have made the comparison. Earlier this year Todd Stiefel, […]
Catholic bishops’ new president can help hierarchy pivot toward Pope Francis
By David Gibson — November 13, 2013
BALTIMORE (RNS) Archbishop Joseph Kurtz' wide-angle lens directly reflects Francis’ own approach.
“One of the major challenges is what, really, our Holy Father has said over and over again: How can we warm hearts and heal wounds?”
Emboldened, gay marriage activists eye 50 states
By Marisol Bello — October 11, 2013
(RNS) Since June, couples have filed 23 lawsuits to end bans in 21 states; governors and state attorneys general in at least three states have refused to defend their state bans in court; and county clerks in four states have issued marriage licenses to gay couples despite laws against it.
Catholic chaplains given marching orders barring service to gay couples
By David Gibson — September 24, 2013
(RNS) Catholic military chaplains cannot be forced to witness or bless a same-sex marriage, nor are they allowed to take part in any marriage counseling retreats that are open to gay couples under new rules issued by the Archdiocese for the Military Services. Participation in funerals of gay service members is also off-limits. But Catholic commanders may be able to facilitate same-sex benefits if they publicly register their objections.
Excerpts from Pope Francis’ explosive new interview
By David Gibson — September 19, 2013
(RNS) Pope Francis has given a lengthy, wide-ranging interview with journalists from his own Jesuit order in which he made a number of stunningly frank comments that are likely to rattle the church and cement his reputation as a pastoral rather than a doctrinal leader. Here are excerpts featuring his most provocative comments, plus links to the full transcript.
