Jesuits in US bolster outreach initiative aimed at encouraging LGBTQ+ Catholics

Source: Associated Press

Jesuits in US bolster outreach initiative aimed at encouraging LGBTQ+ Catholics

BY DAVID CRARY
Updated 8:02 AM EST, February 6, 2024

NEW YORK (AP) — Even as Catholic dogma continues to repudiate same-sex marriage and gender transition, one of the most prominent religious orders in the United States — the Jesuits — is strengthening a unique outreach program for LGBTQ+ Catholics.

The initiative — fittingly called Outreach — was founded two years ago by the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit who is one of the country’s most prominent advocates for greater LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Catholic Church.

Outreach, a ministry of the Jesuit magazine America, sponsored conferences in New York City in 2022 and 2023, and last year launched a multifaceted website with news, essays and information about Catholic LGBTQ+ resources and events.

On Tuesday, there was another milestone for Outreach — the appointment of journalist and author Michael O’Loughlin as its first executive director.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/lgbtq-catholics-outreach-jesuits-pope-francis-8756a79c5fd0323cd019990f6655b749