Posted: Dec. 14, 2023
UPDATE 12-21-2023: Unfortunately, in a cruel and heartbreaking turn of events, leaders of St. Mary's College have reversed their previous, Christ-like position of love to admit trans women as students.
Faithful America has issued the following statement on behalf of our grassroots Catholic and ecumenical Christian members from executive director, the Rev. Nathan Empsall:
"We are extremely disappointed to see the leadership of St. Mary's College turn their backs on Christ's transgender children who -- like Mary and Joseph knocking on the doors of Bethlehem inns -- are only looking for a welcoming community, only to be turned away yet again.
"In response to the college's statement, 'The position we took is not shared by all members of our community,' we can only remind President Conboy that the college's new position of rejection and bigotry is also not shared by all. News of St. Mary's hurtful reversal broke just as Faithful America had been preparing to send the College thousands of predominantly Catholic signatures thanking them for their now-overturned historic and Christ-like inclusivity. The change is heartbreaking: We cannot keep letting a few culture-warrior bishops dictate the future of the entire Kingdom of God. St. Mary's should have chosen to follow the welcoming and loving example of Pope Francis instead."
In a statement to the National Catholic Reporter, Franciscan Fr. Daniel Horan -- a St. Mary’s professor of philosophy, religious studies, and theology -- said, "I believe that this reversal of the nondiscrimination policy in fact goes against our identity as a Catholic women's college in the Holy Cross tradition and establishes a policy of discrimination and exclusion rather than the community of inclusion, hospitality and welcome that we say we are.”
Loretto Sr. Jeannine Gramick -- the co-founder of the LGBTQ Catholic advocacy group New Ways Ministry, who was just honored with a 50-minute audience with Pope Francis in the Vatican -- also expressed her disappointment to NCR:
"I feel so very sad that a Catholic institution squandered an opportunity to hold up the basic Catholic value of dignity and respect for the human person. As St. Mary's embarks on a series of listening sessions, how much more fitting it would be to hold up the public statement of what we are trying to achieve: accepting the Gospel principle of respect for the human person."
Original text:
Good news: Saint Mary's College -- a Catholic women's school in Notre Dame, Indiana -- has taken an important step in building a more diverse and welcoming church, updating its admissions policy to include trans women.
The school's courageous decision to welcome transgender women to apply is a beautiful act of inclusivity. It follows in the footsteps of multiple other all-women Catholic schools in Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.
But now Saint Mary's is facing right-wing pressure from culture-warrior bishops who would push the church in the opposite direction. They include the local Bishop of South Bend, Kevin Rhoades, as well as the disgraced former Bishop of Tyler, Texas, Joseph Strickland, recently removed from his role by Pope Francis.
The U.S. bishops' criticism of Saint Mary's stands in contrast to the increasingly pastoral approach of Pope Francis. In November, the Vatican moved in the right direction by confirming that trans Catholics may be baptized, serve as witnesses at weddings, and even be godparents.
We know that extremist, exclusionary culture warriors like Bishop Strickland do not represent a majority. Let's speak out now to show the leadership of Saint Mary's College that a growing movement of grassroots Catholics and ecumenical Christians across the country support the school's loving, new admissions policy.
Sign the petition:
Love thy neighbor.