Global Network of Rainbow Catholics Denied Participation in World Meeting of Families
- By Kelly Frazier --
- 14 Aug 2018 --
No space available for a Global Network of Rainbow Catholics stall at World Meeting of Families.
The Global Network of Rainbow Catholics (GNRC) didn’t get permission from the organizers of World Meeting of Families (WMF), to set up a stall at the event.[/tweetit] WMF is the Roman Catholic Church’s event held every three years, will be opening in Dublin. Pope Francis will be spending 36 hours there to celebrate masses and attend various events.
Rainbow Catholics Denied Participation in World Meeting of Families[/tweetthis]
WMF will take place in the spacious 42-acre RDS complex, which can accommodate 12,000 delegates. The GNRC approached the WMF in April to obtain permission to set up a stall. Even though they made several queries about the status of their application, they only got to know it was denied a few days before the event. According to Paul McCann, the coordinator of WMF, they rejected GNRC’s bid for a stall, as they are not sure about the availability of space. The coordinator stated the reason for this uncertainty is due to various logistical considerations.
The archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, stated the event is open to everyone. However, in January, WMF removed images of same-sex couples and replaced them with traditional families in their leaflets.
The leaders of GNRC hoped that the decision to reject their application wasn’t due to their promotion of LGBT equality. The organization will be sending their application to the WMF, the next time it takes place.
GNRC’s co-chair, Ruby Almeida, was frustrated and unhappy with the event’s decision. She believes that the church supports LGBT organizations and individuals publically. However, the organizers of WMF have to deal with the pressure of handling these situations.
She also stated that the Pope is working in their favor to make space for them, but there are conservative forces who are creating obstacles for this movement. As people want the church to change, there is a tremendous power struggle taking place inside the Vatican.
Another organization gets rejected
We Are Church, an organization which promotes inclusivity and equality in the Catholic church also didn’t get permission for a stall at the event. We Are Church’s spokesperson, Brendan Butler, stated that WMF is contradicting Pope Francis’s attempt to bring change within the Catholic church.
Very bad ?
— ?laudia ?opete (@clautopete) August 14, 2018
Leo Varadkar, Ireland’s Taoiseach, will be using the event as an opportunity to talk to the Pope about LGBT rights. He wants to bring to light some of the concerns of the Irish people.
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