You can’t ban love. You can’t outlaw identity. But the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland is trying, with a hate-filled, ugly new policy that denies LGBTQIA2S people’s inherent human dignity. Spreading bigotry will only lead to more attacks on LGBTQ+ people.
Sign this petition from the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, and make a donation. They are leading the charge to reverse this ignorant, dangerous policy. Attend this community meeting on September 27 at the Center.
In the words of Pope Francis, “I would like to remind those people that ‘indietrismo’ (being backward-looking) is useless, and we need to understand that there is an appropriate evolution in the understanding of matters of faith and morals….Jesus is very clear about this. The door is open to everyone; everyone has their own space in the church.”
Why is the Ohio Immigrant Alliance taking a stand on this? Because we are a “group of Ohio immigrants and citizens working together to protect the dignity and rights of all individuals who choose to make Ohio their home–regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, ability, and citizenship status.”
And because leadership matters. The previous Bishop of Cleveland appealed to ICE to stop the deportation of a Lorain father, Pedro Hernandez. Bishop Nelson Perez prayed with Pedro in the ICE office in Brooklyn Heights. When Pedro was deported, Bishop Perez directed the diocese to help his family, and stayed in touch with them.
That is pastoral care. That is what Jesus would do. Preaching hatred and pushing LGBT youth further into the closet, as the current Cleveland Bishop directs, is not.
Sign the petition and register for the forum today!