Crossroads Podcast: Some Catholic Bishops Met Secretly With Trans Activists

Catholic bishops hold lots of meetings and some of them are behind closed doors. Some are newsworthy and some are not.

Catholic bishops hold lots of meetings in which they talk about controversial issues, such as how to handle Catholics who disagree with centuries of church teachings on marriage and sexuality. Some of these meetings are held behind closed doors, but — in the past — that hasn’t stopped journalists from finding ways to cover them.

Basically, reporters camp outside the door (been there, done that) and the bishops usually end up holding a press conference and answering basic questions.

This brings us to this week’s “Crossroads” podcast, which focuses on a top-secret meeting of Catholic bishops and trans Catholics, their families and some LGBTQ+ activists. You probably didn’t read about this newsy meeting because the mainstream press didn’t cover it (unless I have missed something). 

However, one of the cornerstone publications for doctrinal progressives — The National Catholic Reporter — printed a newsy story, but one with some strategic holes in the information. It’s almost like the planners of the meeting knew who they wanted to talk to — in terms of cooperating with the Catholic press.

Here is the overture of that friendly story:

As the number of state-based bills and Catholic diocesan policies that impact — and critics say harm — transgender individuals mount, a group of more than a dozen U.S. bishops gathered for a private meeting at St. Louis University in January to listen to trans people and their families, as well as to theologians, medical professionals and those in church ministry.

The day-and-a-half-long event was organized by New Ways Ministry, a Catholic LGBTQ advocacy group, and closed to the public and press. 

Note, a dozen bishops. The story notes that some dioceses embrace LGBTQ+ ministry and changes in Catholic pastoral processes (and even doctrines) and some do not. Thus, reporters can probably predict some of the other bishops (or their aides) behind the closed doors.

Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky, was among the approximately 40 total attendees in St. Louis. The bishop, a … longtime advocate for the LGBTQ community, said he felt there was a consensus after hearing from medical experts and from transgender people "that we are not talking about something that is fabricated, that people have a right to be called as they wish to be called." …

The bishops present were eager to attend, according to Stowe, though not all invited prelates could make the trip. … This is the second such meeting for bishops organized by New Ways Ministry, a nonprofit co-founded in 1977 by Loretto Sr. Jeannine Gramick. The religious sister was barred from ministering to LGBTQ Catholics in 1999 by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Benedict XVI, but in recent years has been praised and befriended by Pope Francis.

To be blunt, this sounds newsworthy — especially because of the bitter divisions inside the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops over LGBTQ+ issues and other hot-button topics. 

Were any cardinals present? Who was invited? What were the strategic issues discussed behind those closed doors?

So who wants to know? Who doesn’t want to know what happened? Who doesn’t want to publish what they know? 

Enjoy the podcast!