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‘Catholic’ Franciscan magazine promotes dissident Fr. James Martin, pro-LGBT writings – LifeSite


(LifeSiteNews) — A “Catholic” magazine published by Franciscan Media is promoting heterodox LGBT content, including writing from the notoriously pro-LGBT Father James Martin, SJ.

St. Anthony Messenger, which publishes both in print and online, promoted content from Fr. Martin advising parents to “accompany” their children in their homosexuality as well as content defending the indecent, infamous 2024 pre-Olympics drag queen scene that was eventually confirmed to be a deliberate mockery of the Last Supper.

In an interview with the Messenger, asked what a parent should do if their child “comes out” to them as gay, Fr. Martin rightly advised that they should “love” their children, but he suggested that they also accept their homosexuality, without any mention of the need to convey the immorality of homosexual behavior. “Always communicate your love and acceptance,” Fr. Martin wrote.

Later in the interview, he said concerning passages about homosexuality in Scripture, “remember that Catholics are not fundamentalists.” He alleged that “when it comes to homosexuality, suddenly we’re all fundamentalists,” as if suggesting that passages condemning homosexuality as violation of God’s law are not meant to be taken literally.

Fr. Martin then urged his readers to pattern themselves after Christ’s interactions with people “on the margins,” such as the Samaritan woman “in an irregular sexual relationship.” However, he completely failed to point out that Christ called sinners to repentance, only saying that Christ “listens to them, accompanies them, and loves them.”

The dissident priest even praised popular culture, including the shows Will & Grace and Ellen for humanizing “LGBTQ people” despite the fact that the shows treat homosexual behavior as acceptable and do not merely humanize those with same-sex attraction.

The Catholic Church teaches that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered. They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.” 

The Church also instructs the faithful that those with same-sex attraction “must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity” as persons. While Fr. Martin frequently speaks of “loving” “LGBTQ people,” he equivocates to downplay the fact that he endorses what the Church condemns: gravely sinful homosexual behavior.

This defiance of Church teaching appears to be embedded in Franciscan Media’s very ideology and leadership. The media company prominently promotes multiple books by the dissident priest Richard Rohr, who is known for his rejection of Catholic teaching and even the natural law, and his acceptance of LGBT ideology. “Learn from the friar who is inspiring Oprah and Bono!” Franciscan Media gushes above a pictured selection of his books.

St. Anthony Messenger also published a piece in its October 2024 edition defending the Paris pre-Olympics burlesque scene in which immodestly clad drag queens arranged themselves around an obese woman wearing a silver headpiece which resembled a halo. 

The author of the piece, titled “Replacing Moral Outrage with Curiosity & Wonder,” argued that it was inappropriate and judgmental to denounce the scene because we cannot understand the meaning of the scene with certainty. He wrote that it was a “nuanced, complex” situation that was “attacked with such moral certainty by an online mob that the Vatican itself felt the need to respond days later with a vague statement that they were ‘saddened’ by ‘certain scenes’ during the opening ceremony.”

Those who were outraged at what they perceived as a mockery of the Last Supper were proved right when the immodest lesbian at the center of the scene, Barbara Butch, said she sought to depict “Olympic Jesus,” according to screenshots from her Instagram account. Even if this were not the case, the immodesty of dress and postures involved and the grotesque, immoral cross-dressing of the “performers” in the scene should provoke a Christian to indignation.

LifeSiteNews contacted the president of Franciscan Media on January 22, highlighting these two articles and asking for comment as well as clarification of Franciscan Media’s position on Catholic teaching regarding homosexuality and transgenderism. As of publishing, LifeSiteNews has not received a response. 

For respectful communications:

St. Anthony Messenger
28 West Liberty Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Ph: 513.241.5615
Email Franciscan Media here.


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