International Conference The Ways of Love

 

The extraordinary general session of the Synod of Bishops on the Family 2014 will take place in the Vatican between 5-19 October.
The Synod will discuss several themes, including domestic partnerships of “couples living without being married”, the spiritual path of remarried divorcés, same-sex unions, and the religious education of same-sex couples’ children.
The Catholic Church has finally decided to openly reflect on these issues.
Italian Catholic associations and groups, Europeans and Americans have organized an international theological conference in Rome (Italy) a few hours ahead of the beginning of the Synod.
The conference is entitled The Ways of Love: International Conference for a Pastoral Care with Homosexual and Transsexual People. It will take place on Friday, 3 October 2014.
The event will bring Catholic theologians and clergy together with representatives of the Waldensian Church and of the civil society in order to discuss about how to renew the pastoral care with a view of fully including the homosexual and the transgender people, and the same-sex couples and families.

PRESS> The Ways of Love: James Alison Explains a Role for LGBT Catholics

Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry, October 4th, 2014
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Saluti da Roma! Greetings from Rome! As you may know, New Ways Ministry’s Sister Jeannine Gramick and I are in the Eternal City for several events surrounding the extraordinary synod of bishops on marriage and the family which runs from October 5th-19th.
Yesterday, we attended an amazing international theological conference entitled, The Ways of Love: Pastoral Care with Homosexual and Transgender People. Close to 200 people from at least 14 nations attended the meeting. The conference was sponsored by the European Forum for Lesbian/Gay Christians,’ and New Ways Ministry was one of the co-sponsors.
The conference website will soon post the texts of the major speakers, and I will post about their talks when the texts are online so that you can link to the entire manuscript. America magazine has already posted the text of theologian James Alison’s talk, and I will try to summarize it here, but strongly encourage you to read the entire text here.

Press> Catholic priest calls for inclusion of LGBT persons in faith communities

Denis Nzioka News Agency and Service (Kenya) 3 Oct, 2014
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Catholic priest and theologian says homosexuality is Divine and a call to holiness. Fr James Alison is based in Brazil but has worked extensively on homosexuality and Catholic faith, in particular on Catholic consciousness and gay consciousness. Priest calls for inclusion of LGBT persons in Catholic communities and other faiths. Argues homosexuals and transgender persons agents of a ”new Evangelization” capable of freeing themselves from oppression and discrimination.

Press release> On october 3rd lgbt christians from all over the world gather in Rome

Through the international theological conference “Ways of love, for a pastoral care with homosexual and trans people” we wish to help the Extraordinary Synod on the family reflect on welcoming LGBT people.
Andrea Rubera, a spokesperson for the conference, said that: “The news of the convocation of an extraordinary synod on the family and the questionnaire sent to every diocese in the world has triggered an unprecedented desire to participate. It looks like it’s time, for us Christian LGBT people, to make our contribution and witness the beauty, truth, and, sometimes, even the fragility of our lives, as a proposal for the growth of the whole community of the faithful.”

Bishop Geoffrey Robinson: “Towards a new understanding of lgbt lives and love”

Presentation by Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, retired Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop of Sydney (Australia), for “The ways of Love”, an International Conference towards pastoral care with homosexual and trans people (Rome, Italy, October 3, 2014)

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The thesis of this paper is in three parts:

1. There is no possibility of a change in the teaching of the Catholic Church on homosexual acts unless and until there is first a change in its teaching on heterosexual acts;
2. There is a serious need for radical change in the Church’s teaching on heterosexual acts;
3. If and when this change occurs, it will inevitably have its effect on teaching on homosexual acts.

James Alison: ” Towards global inclusion of LGBT people within Catholic communities: a new theological approach”

Presentation by James Alison for “The ways of Love”, an International Conference towards pastoral care with homosexual and trans people (Rome, Italy, October 3, 2014)
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I’d like to ask you to join me as we imagine ourselves as participants in a familiar scene from Scripture. The scene is from Acts 10, but imagined from a small distance: looking back a week or so after the events that are described. We are in the house of the Roman Centurion Cornelius, in Caesarea.