Sunday, January 10, 2016

Via Towleroad: Pope Francis Expands on Remarks About Gays: ‘God Loves All His Creatures’

Pope Francis gays - name of god is mercy

In a new book set for publication on Tuesday, Pope Francis explains for the first time the remarks about gays he made to reporters aboard a plane from Brazil to Rome in 2013.
The Pope was asked how he would respond to learning that a cleric in the Catholic Church was gay, but not sexually active. “Who am I to judge a gay person of goodwill who seeks the Lord?” the pontiff replied. “You can’t marginalize these people.”

RELATED: Pope Francis Met Privately with Gay Couple During U.S. Visit: VIDEO

Now, in The Name of God is Mercy, a conversation with journalist Andrea Tornielli, Francis elaborates on those remarks according to National Catholic Reporter:

“On that occasion I said this: If a person is gay and seeks out the Lord and is willing, who am I to judge that person? I was paraphrasing by heart the Catechism of the Catholic Church where it says that these people should be treated with delicacy and not be marginalized.”

He adds:

“I am glad that we are talking about ‘homosexual people’ because before all else comes the individual person, in his wholeness and dignity. And people should not be defined only by their sexual tendencies: let us not forget that God loves all his creatures and we are destined to receive his infinite love…I prefer that homosexuals come to confession, that they stay close to the Lord, and that we pray all together. You can advise them to pray, show goodwill, show them the way, and accompany them along it.”

http://www.towleroad.com/2016/01/pope-francis-gays/

Via JMG: Jim Obergefell To Sit With First Lady During SOTU

JimObergefellLS2

This morning the White House announced that Jim Obergefell will be among the guests seated with the First Lady during President Obama’s final State Of The Union address. From their bio on Obergefell:
Jim Obergefell was the named plaintiff in the landmark marriage equality case Obergefell v. Hodges, which ruled same-sex couples nationwide have the Constitutional right to marry. In 2013, Jim married his partner of 20 years, John, who was dying of ALS. Their marriage – performed in Maryland – wasn’t recognized in their home state of Ohio, setting off a legal proceeding over whether the marriage should be recognized under Ohio law and listed on John’s death certificate.
While they won the initial legal battle, Ohio appealed, and their case eventually made its way to the Supreme Court, which declared marriage equality the law of the land. Jim considers himself an accidental activist, one who became entwined in a political statement larger than himself – a statement of equality and dignity that Americans have been fighting for since this nation’s founding – and he now remains committed to ensuring the civil rights for all Americans.
Other guests to be seated with the First Lady include a Syrian refugee, an Obamacare navigator, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and USAF Sgt. Spencer Stone, who helped thwart a terrorist attack on a Paris-bound train. The press release includes this important notation:
We leave one seat empty in the First Lady’s State of the Union Guest Box for the victims of gun violence who no longer have a voice – because they need the rest of us to speak for them. To tell their stories. To honor their memory. To support the Americans whose lives have been forever changed by the terrible ripple effect of gun violence – survivors who’ve had to learn to live with a disability, or without the love of their life. To remind every single one of our representatives that it’s their responsibility to do something about this.

Make the jump here to read the original on JMG

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day - 10/01/2016

“É impossível estar no mundo sem se relacionar. Você pode trabalhar na Wall Street, viver numa praia deserta, num monastério ou comunidade espiritual, mas os desafios do relacionamento sempre estarão presentes. Isso porque muda o cenário e os personagens, mas não muda o que você carrega dentro de si. Enquanto você não olha de frente, compreende e aceita as suas imperfeições, sempre haverá alguém que te incomoda. Mas quando você aceita e integra as partes da sua personalidade que foram negadas, ocorre uma cura, e você se torna capaz de viver em harmonia com o outro, não importa o lugar.”

“Es imposible estar en el mundo sin relacionarse. Puedes trabajar en Wall Street, vivir en una playa desierta, en un monasterio o comunidad espiritual, pero los desafíos de las relaciones siempre estarán presentes. Esto es porque cambia el escenario y los personajes, pero no cambia lo que cargas dentro de ti. Mientras no mires de frente, comprendas y aceptes tus imperfecciones, siempre habrá alguien que te. Pero cuando aceptas e integras las partes de tu personalidad que fueron negadas, sucede una cura, y te vuelves capaz de vivir en armonía con el otro, no importa el lugar.”

"It is impossible to live in this world without relating. Whether one works on Wall Street, lives on a deserted beach, in a monastery or a spiritual community, the challenges of relationships will always be present. The setting or characters may change, but what we carry inside does not. As long as we do not face this straight on and understand and accept our imperfections, there will always be someone who throws us off center. On the other hand, when we accept and integrate the parts of our personality that were denied, a healing occurs. We are then able to live in harmony with each other, regardless of where we may be."