On Saturday May 27th, I was privileged to join the Gdansk “Equality March”, representing Quest as part of the European Forum of Lesbian and Gay Christian Groups, meeting here for their annual conference, “Forwards in Solidarity”. This experience was quite different to London’s Pride Parade, in so many ways. First, it was definitely not a heavenly…… Continue reading Quest Joins EU Christians at Equality March, Gdansk (Poland)
Month: May 2017
Faith in Solidarity: European Forum 2017 in Gdansk.
Many people of a certain age will recall the central role of Gdansk in the story of Polish resistance to communist rule. As the birthplace of the Solidarity movement and the base of its leader, Lech Walesa, it filled our television news screens often enough throughout the 1980’s. As a gay Catholic, I am struck…… Continue reading Faith in Solidarity: European Forum 2017 in Gdansk.
Film Review: “SILENCE”.
Director: Martin Scorsese. Starring: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson, Yôsuke Kubozuka, Issei Ogata. Certificate: 15. Running time: 161 mins. In Martin Scorsese’s introduction to a special edition of Shūsaku Endō’s Silence [i], he claims that the novel ‘is precisely about the particular and the general. And it is finally about the first overwhelming the…… Continue reading Film Review: “SILENCE”.
Quest in Poland for Conference of LGBT Christians
I am now in Gdansk, representing Quest for a five day annual conference of the European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups. (The main conference runs from Thursday to Sunday, with a Catholic denominational meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, making five days in all. There will also be a further meeting later, of a Catholic “working group”). Meeting here in…… Continue reading Quest in Poland for Conference of LGBT Christians
Book Review: A Christian Epiphany over Same-Sex Marriage.
From Quest Bulletin 77, a book review: Epiphany: A Christian’s Change of Heart & Mind over Same-Sex Marriage. Michael Coren. Signal 2016. 978-0-7710-2411-5. One of the many changes that US President Donald Trump vowed to bring about in last year’s Presidential election campaign was to repeal the Federal Equal Marriage Act. He has since sent…… Continue reading Book Review: A Christian Epiphany over Same-Sex Marriage.
“Forgiving the Church” – Henry Nouwen quotation
When we have been wounded by the Church, our temptation is to reject it. But when we reject the Church it becomes very hard for us to keep in touch with the living Christ. When we say: ‘I love Jesus, but I hate the Church’, we end up losing not only the Church but Jesus…… Continue reading “Forgiving the Church” – Henry Nouwen quotation
Lent: the holiness of suffering
From Quest Bulletin 77, a Lenten reflection: The liturgical year . . . takes us from one growth point of soul to the next until we come to understand the meaning of the moment, until we come to realize that the life of Jesus is the template for our own. If we are really meant…… Continue reading Lent: the holiness of suffering
“Rules for processing refugees” – a Lament
A reflection on refugees, from Quest Bulletin 77 (Lent 2017) Do not feed refugees – they must eat our scraps. Do not give drink to refugees – they have plenty of sea water. Do not clothe refugees – they can use charity shops. Do not visit refugees in detention – they are criminals. Do not…… Continue reading “Rules for processing refugees” – a Lament
Reflections: “Let us utterly crush them”
From Quest Bulletin 77 (Lent 2017), a reflection on war and religious persecution in the Middle East: Psalm 74, from which the title of this article comes, is a hymn of lament for the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. In the fourweek cycle of the Divine Office, it appears on Tuesday of the 3rd…… Continue reading Reflections: “Let us utterly crush them”
LGBT Saints: Fr James Martin Re-affirms and Expands
A brief observation in a Facebook comments thread by Fr James attracted widespread media attention. In a follow up post this week, Fr Martin writes that he is surprised by this attention, and expanded on his argument. For LGBT Catholics, there are several points in this expanded observation that deserve comment. It’s important to note,…… Continue reading LGBT Saints: Fr James Martin Re-affirms and Expands
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