Catholicism is at LGBTQ+ Crossroads. Which Way Will Pope Leo Go?

As the world listened, I said openly and defiantly that queer and transgender children would continue to be born into Catholic families. It would be up to the next pope to tend and foster the seeds of inclusion that Francis planted.

I was nervous but determined. For many queer Catholics, inclusion and affirmation of who we are and the deconstruction of systems like conversion therapy is a matter of life and death. Simon, who is the host of the podcast Dear Alana, examines one such story: Alana Chen was a 24-year-old queer Catholic woman who died by suicide in 2019. Chen, like so many other queer Catholics, had suffered years of conversion therapy. Read Full Article »