17 bishops have attended LGBTQ-related dialogues organized by New Ways Ministry
April 22, 2026
» Continue to this story on National Catholic Reporter
CWN Editor's Note: Francis DeBernardo, the executive director of New Ways Ministry, wrote that 17 bishops have attended dialogues organized by the group since 2023.
The organization “has been sponsoring a series of two-day meetings, in which bishops interact with theologians, scientific professionals, other scholars, pastoral ministers and, most importantly, LGBTQ+ people themselves,” said DeBernardo. “At the conclusion of one meeting, one bishop was in tears when he expressed how little he had known about the realities of transgender people, and regretted how he may have unintentionally added to their pain.”
New Ways Ministry was the subject of a notification by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (1999) and a statement by the US bishops (2011) because of its dissent from Catholic teaching on homosexuality.
Pope Francis, however, praised Sister Jeannine Gramick, co-founder of New Ways Ministry, in a handwritten letter. He later met with Sister Gramick and other leaders of the group for 50 minutes.
The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
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Posted by: grateful1 -
Apr. 24, 2026 7:32 PM ET USA
When even Church higher-ups indulge the desire of some people to be labeled with an ever-lengthening acronym for their sexual appetites, thus denying the fullness of their own humanity, the Church has lost her way.
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Posted by: feedback -
Apr. 22, 2026 7:12 AM ET USA
New Ways Ministry is blurring the line between compassion for persons with intrinsically disordered sexual inclinations and a full acceptance for the sins of sodomy. This can be spiritually harmful in a morally corrupt culture that is at odds with the Church's constant teachings on these matters. Catholic Bishops attending these "dialogues" need to be especially discerning and mindful of their vocation as successors of the Apostles and teachers of the Faith.
