Is anyone genuinely surprised that a Catholic parish in Archbishop Charles Chaput's Philadelphia would renege on providing space for LGBT-related programs during the World Meeting of Families?
As my colleague Julia Terruso reports in Tuesday's Inquirer, four LGBT groups planning to offer workshops and other events in the St. John the Evangelist Church parish center during next month's world meeting in Philadelphia have been told they'll have to make other arrangements.
The unwelcome mat went out after the Archdiocese of Philadelphia provided the parish with guidance, spokesman Ken Gavin told Terruso.
Perhaps the guidance took the form of a reminder that, regardless of the seemingly/somewhat/perhaps less-than-hostile posture of Pope Francis, the Catholic Church is thoroughly and implacably opposed to same-sex intimacy, which it views as inherently and utterly sinful. Period.
Thus, the only authorized LGBT presence at the world meeting itself is a single session featuring a gay man who is celibate.
And thus, even a separate get-together of LGBT people who (presumably) don't regard celibacy as their sole option must not and will not be allowed on church property -- lest some poor soul become confused about what Chaput and his church truly stand for.