Message from Loyola’s president: Responding to Vatican announcement not allowing the blessing of same-sex marriages

Rev. Brian F. Linnane, S.J., president of Loyola University Maryland, released this statement today:

“Earlier this week, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith announced that Catholic clergy do not have the authority to bless same-sex unions. Particularly because Pope Francis has consistently called for being more loving and welcoming to those who are LGBTQPIA+, this news is discouraging, disheartening, and sad. At Loyola, our education, community, faith and mission are enlivened and enriched by the LGBTQPIA+ faculty, staff, administrators and students. As a Jesuit, Catholic university, we strive to be a welcoming community where all are included, seen, heard, and valued. We receive this response from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith with great sadness, recognizing how much we long for all members of the Catholic Church and our Loyola community to feel fully welcome and included within the Church. We stand with and support those within our community who are LGBTQPIA+, pray for a time of less division and greater inclusion, and commit to working to make that future a reality soon.”