LOS ANGELES, California, February 8, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) – Pope Francis will deliver a video speech at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, which has a long history of promotion and platform for speakers that contradict the Church’s teaching on the abortion and LGBT problems.
The Los Angeles Religious Education Congress is now in its 65th yearºyear, and due to COVID restrictions, it will take place online from February 18th to 21st. The regular face-to-face event is described as the largest annual event of its kind and is sponsored by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
In announcing the news of Pope Francis’ speech, Sister Rosalia Meza, senior director of the archdiocesan office for religious education, described it as a “great blessing”.
“The congress, whether virtual this year, is a time for meeting, a time for us to come together to celebrate and grow in faith, drawing closer to Christ and God’s loving mercy, but most importantly to take what we have learned in these three days and take it back to our communities, ”said Sr. Meza. The Pope will deliver his speech on the first day of the event.
The congress, which this year is held under the theme “Proclaiming the promise”, has a history of receiving speakers who disagree with the teaching of the Catholic Church, particularly on issues related to LGBT ideology and homosexuality. There have been reports of Catholics protesting the event since 1994. In 2012, LifeSiteNews reported that speakers scheduled to speak at that year’s event had radically described pro-abortion, former US President Barack Obama, as “pro-life”. for “public models of gay priests”, he opposed marriage protection legislation and encouraged children to engage in “genital self-touch”.
Last year, the congress featured the art of William Hart McNichols, an openly homosexual former Jesuit priest, who has already painted a picture of the crucified Christ, with the sign “AIDS, homosexual, fagot, pervert, sodomite” on top of the cross.
Father James Martin SJ, the celebrity priest who is one of the most prominent supporters of the acceptance of homosexuality in the Church, continues his habit of many years speaking at the conference. While the Catholic Church teaches that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered” (CCC 2357), Martin has previously stated that such teaching is not “official”. Martin even expressed the hope that homosexuals can kiss in church, as a sign of peace at the Novus Ordo Mass.
Martin will be accompanied by several lay and clerical speakers at the online event, including the Bishop of San Diego, Robert McElroy, who will deliver a speech entitled “What is the truth?”. McElroy recently declared that it would be “destructive” for Catholic bishops to adhere to Catholic teaching and ban abortion Joe Biden from receiving Holy Communion, criticizing how abortion was being used as a “litmus test” to evaluate Catholic politicians.
McElroy will also co-lead a workshop called “Impact of Climate Change: New Alliance between Science and Religion”. The workshop is based on the principle that “climate change is an existential threat” and will include themes contained in Pope Francis’ encyclical. Laudato Si.
Father Gregory J Boyle, SJ is also expected to speak at the event, despite his description of the Church’s opposition to same-sex “marriage” as “demonizing people”, as well as attacking the Church for not ordaining women. Congress specifically mentioned it when listing the main speakers at the event.
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The auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles, Robert Barron, joins the list of speakers in favor of the LGBT ideology, having recently described Martin as a “captivating guide for all those who wish to deepen their friendship with the Lord”.
Speaking at the event and thus signaling his support for pro-LGBT history and current pro-LGBT speakers, Pope Francis would not be acting without precedent. Just a few months ago, Francis possibly made his clearest contravention of the Church’s teachings to date, by calling for legal recognition of homosexual civil unions. In 2003, in a document by the then cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) and approved and ordered published by Pope St. John Paul II, the Church issued specific guidelines on the need to reject proposals for homosexual civil union. The document entitled “Considerations on proposals for legal recognition of unions between homosexuals”, states that “all Catholics are obliged to oppose the legal recognition of homosexual unions”.
The pope’s statement came in addition to a series of previous comments, highlighting his support for LGBT ideology and homosexual unions. A few weeks before his call for same-sex civil unions, he told a group of Italian parents, who consider their children LGBT, that “God loves his children as they are”.
LifeSiteNews contacted Sr. Meza, asking about the priest. Martin’s appearance, despite his opposition to the teaching of the Church, and what role the Pope’s speech would play in approving the actions of Martin and others, which deviate from the teaching of the Church. No response was received at the time of publication.
Commenting on the news of Pope Francis’ speech at the Los Angeles Congress, prominent UK Catholic commentator, deacon Nick Donnelly, stated: “The Los Angeles Congress has a history of promoting dissent from the doctrines of the faith; especially by providing a platform for LGBT activists who publicly repudiate the Church’s teaching on the immorality of homosexual sex. ”
“Pope Francis has a real opportunity in his online appearance to address and correct this scandal. This would give hope to faithful parents, teachers and clergy who had to endure this annual attack on the faith for decades. As tragic as it is for the Church of the United States, this pope declared himself unable to judge these issues.
“Under his pontificate he encouraged clergymen, like Fr. James Martin SJ and Bishop McElroy plunged into new depths of subversion against the dignity of human sexuality protected by natural law and divine revelation, ”continued Donnelly.
“I fear that, instead of a punished LA Congress, we will witness it falling into an even more extreme challenge to God and His Church. This will have very dangerous consequences for children subjected to this corrupted view of Catholic education, ”he concluded.
To record respectful concerns about the Congress:
Contact information:
Very Reverend José H. Gomez
Los Angeles Archbishop’s Office
3424 Wilshire Boulevard, 5th floor
Los Angeles, CA 90010-2241
Phone: (213) 637-7534
FAX: (213) 637-6510
[email protected]
Media Relations Office
(213) 637-7215
(213) 216-8395
[email protected]