Catholic World News

US bishops reaffirm: New Ways Ministry not a Catholic organization

March 17, 2011

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has reaffirmed that New Ways Ministry dissents from Catholic teaching on homosexuality and is not a Catholic organization.

Cardinal Donald Wuerl and Bishop Salvatore Cordileone said in a statement that

In view of the recent booklet Marriage Equality: A Positive Catholic Approach, by Francis DeBernardo (published by New Ways Ministry), we, as the respective chairmen of the USCCB Committee on Doctrine and the Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage, wish to reaffirm Francis Cardinal George's statement of February 12, 2010 and assure Catholics that in no manner is the position proposed by New Ways Ministry in conformity with Catholic teaching and in no manner is this organization authorized to speak on behalf of the Catholic Church or to identify itself as a Catholic organization.

Seven years after New Ways Ministry’s 1977 founding, Cardinal James Hickey barred the organization from the Archdiocese of Washington because of its dissent from Catholic teaching. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith condemned the organization’s positions on homosexuality in 1999.

 


For all current news, visit our News home page.


 
Further information:
Sound Off! CatholicCulture.org supporters weigh in.

All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!

  • Posted by: rvte619260 - Mar. 18, 2011 5:24 PM ET USA

    The main problem with the USCCB statement is that it's three decades too late. New Ways has always worked solely to advance the political ends of the Homosexual Collective. It has never lacked for support from the American hierarchy including Bishop now Cardinal Wuerl. The NCCB/USCC worked closely with Grammick and Nugent for years. Grammick was never really silenced. Wuerl and Cordileone should not play Catholics for fools. We are not. Randy Engel,author, The Rite of Sodomy