On June 18, Cardinal Blase Cupich led an LGBTQ+ Catholic Mass at Lake View’s Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, according to Block Club Chicago.
The Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach (AGLO) ministry has hosted weekly LGBTQ+ Masses for decades. Cupich presided over the group’s Sunday Mass as it celebrated its 35th anniversary.
“God has brought us together here as a community. That’s why this community is so important. It’s a reflection of God and of the desire of God to have his people come together and support each other,” Cupich said. However, the cardinal didn’t use the words “gay” or “LGBTQ+” during his 10-minute homily.
A statement released by Cupich’s office before the Mass said AGLO Chicago has “made much progress in bringing the Good News of Jesus to Catholics and creating a welcoming faith community for our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters.”
In 2021, in response to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith saying the Catholic Church “does not have, and cannot have, the power to bless unions of persons of the same sex,” a statement from Cupich read, in part, “The understandable reaction among many to this response will be disappointment. This should prompt us in the Church and in the archdiocese to redouble our efforts to be creative and resilient in finding ways to welcome and encourage all LGBTQ people in our family of faith.”
The Block Club Chicago article is at http://blockclubchicago.org/2023/06/19/cardinal-blase-cupich-presides-over-lgbtq-mass-in-lakeview-god-brought-us-together-here-as-a-community/.
—Andrew Davis