Kate Moynihan Leads ACI to Ally With LGBTQI+ Catholics

Nov 19, 2021 | 1 comment

KATE MOYNIHAN SPEAKS TO ACI & BEGINS TO EDUCATE US
ON COMING OUT LOUD AND PROUD AS LGBTQI+ ALLIES

On the evening of the 28th October 2021, Kate Moynihan, CEO of LINC spoke to us on ZOOM about the lived experience of the LGBTQI+ community in Ireland and the experience of LGBTQI+ Catholics.

Click here to read complete article on Kate’s talk.
(LINC is a unique organisation within the Republic of Ireland, committed to informing and impacting upon social inclusion policy and practice and providing peer support services to the lesbian and bisexual community.)
In the early stages of the Synodal Pathway, this was a rare and precious opportunity for lay people, religious, priests and bishops present to listen and learn directly from a leader of the Irish LGBTQI+ community, who was willing to speak to us.
We are thankful to Kate for engaging with us, in her capacity as advocate for the LINC members she represents, who still identify as Catholics and who feel the weight of the injustice inflicted on them by our Church.
In her talk Kate provided a broad historical perspective of LGBTQI+ oppression in Ireland; insights from academic research on the contemporary lived experience of LGBTQI+ individuals here and powerful and poignant anecdotal accounts of being an LGBTQI+ Catholic.
One of the most alarming research findings that Kate spoke about is the vulnerability of young LGBTQI+ people, compared to their non-LGBTQI+ peers. LGBTQI+ youth are twice as likely to experience self-harm, three times more likely to experience suicide ideation, and four times more likely to experience extreme stress, anxiety, and depression.
Kate spoke to us about the subtle and pervasive nature of homophobia and the importance of engaging in LGBTQI+ Diversity Awareness and Training so that we can recognise and deconstruct our own latent homophobia and learn to become allies who help create the change needed in our communities, including our Church communities, so that everyone belongs equally and can feel pride and joy in who they are.
To read our complete article on Kate’s talk, with links to research articles and other resources, click here.

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ACI’s Campaign for Lumen Gentium 37

The Promise of Synodality

What we have experienced of synodality so far gives ACI real hope that a longstanding structural injustice in the church may at last be acknowledged and overcome.

As all Irish bishops well know, the 'co-responsibility' they urge lay people to share - as numbers and energies of clergy decline - has been sabotaged time and again by canonical rules that deny representational authority and continuity to parish pastoral councils.  ACI's 2019 call for the immediate honouring of Lumen Gentium Article 37 becomes more urgent by the day and is supported by the following documents - also presented to the ICBC in October 2019.

The Common Priesthood of the People of God and the Renewal of the Church
It was Catholic parents and victims of clerical abuse who taught Catholic Bishops to prioritise the safeguarding of children in the church

Jesus as Model for the Common Priesthood of the People of God
It was for challenging religious hypocrisy and injustice that Jesus was accused and crucified. He is therefore a model for the common priesthood of the laity and for the challenging of injustice - in society and within the church.

A Suggested Strategy for the Recovery of the Irish and Western Catholic Church
Recovery of the church depends upon acknowledgment of the indispensable role of the common priesthood of the lay people of God and the explicit abandonment by bishops and clergy of paternalism and clericalism - the expectation of deference from lay people rather than honesty and integrity.

For the full story of ACI's campaign for the honouring of Article 37 of Lumen Gentium, click here.

Prayer

"Come Holy Spirit, Renew Your wonders in this our day, as by a new Pentecost. Grant to Your Church that, being of one mind and steadfast in prayer with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and following the lead of blessed Peter, it may advance the reign of our Divine Saviour, the reign of truth and justice, the reign of love and peace. Amen."

Saint Pope John XXIII, 1962 - In preparation for Vatican Council II, 1962-65.

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