2022 World Meeting of Families |
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The American delegation joined thousands of clergy, marriage and family life ministers, and their families from all over the world at the 2022 World Meeting of Families in Rome. Pope Francis was present multiple times over the course of the gathering. Many families, including several American couples, spoke on a wide range of topics impacting families, covering everything from the role of parishes in fostering domestic churches in our homes to the need for mercy in the wake of family tragedy.
As the members of the American delegation return home, the fruit of the Meeting will be a livelier effort by the Church in the US to provide pastoral care which is more attentive to the particular sufferings and joys of families in all situations. You can find video of the talks from the entire World Meeting of Families here.
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Much of our planned coverage of the World Meeting of Families was derailed for the best of reasons: the overturning of Roe v. Wade! T he Supreme Court returned authority to the states to protect life in the womb, and you can read the USCCB’s statement here.
Many wondered if they would ever live to see Roe v. Wade overturned. Now we have, by the grace of Jesus Christ. Thank you for joining the USCCB's Pray for Dobbs campaign, which started last fall. God has answered our prayers and called us to love.
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Called to the Joy of Love at the World Meeting of Families |
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The US delegation to the 2022 World Meeting of Families spread the news about our new pastoral framework for marriage and family life ministry! " Called to the Joy of Love" provides guidelines for the pastoral accompaniment of married couples and families in every phase of life, drawing upon the teachings and recommendations contained in the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia.
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July 25th is the anniversary of Humanae Vitae, which means it's also Natural Family Planning Awareness Week! It runs July 24-30 and this year's theme builds on the same theme as the pastoral framework, Called to the Joy of Love. We have everything your diocese or parish needs to help parents live out this call, which you can find here. The week also coincides with World Grandparents Day, which falls on the fourth Sunday of July. Be sure to check out last year's podcast episodes on Grandparents and NFP! |
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Title IX - The U.S. Dept. of Education released a proposed regulation on June 23rd, the 50th anniversary of Title IX, saying that the law, which protects equal opportunities for women and girls in educational settings, also prohibits discrimination based on "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" and requires people to be treated consistent with their "gender identity" in sex-separated spaces and activities. Details for various applications, however, were not clarified or, in the case of athletics, deferred to later rulemaking. LMFLY Chairman Archbishop Cordileone and two other USCCB bishop chairmen published a statement expressing their concerns.
Pride Order - President Biden issued a multifaceted "Executive Order on Advancing Equality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Individuals" on June 15th. The order takes multiple steps to increase "affirming" medical and mental health services for "LGBTQI+" persons. Among other things, it also pushes for "affirming" education policies, boosted housing and foster care access, and restricting what it terms "conversion therapy."
Religious Schools - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled favorably on June 22nd in a case involving religious schools' ability to receive state funds on the same terms as other non-public schools (Carson v. Makin), where part of the reason that the state of Maine and lower courts had wanted to disqualify the schools was related to their teachings on sexuality. However, Maine is planning to still try to prohibit funds to the schools in question on separate grounds of discrimination based on "sexual orientation" and "gender identity."
Survey Says... - The U.S. House of Representatives, on a largely partisan basis, passed the "LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act" on June 23rd. The bill would require all federal agencies to takes steps to include “sexual orientation, gender identity, and variations in sex characteristics” in various surveys that they conduct, including with the Census.
Foster Care still under Attack - The U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, on June 17th, was reported to have used the lawsuit of Facing Foster Care in Alaska v. HHS to make a motion to vacate its Trump-era “Grants Rule,” which will effectively solidify the prior Obama Administration "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" mandate on HHS grantees and awardees, such as in foster care services.
Gender Coverage Mandates - On June 10th, a federal court in North Carolina ruled that state employee health insurance plans must cover "gender affirming" hormonal and surgical transitions. On June 16th, Hawaii passed a law adding more cosmetic elements of "gender affirming" interventions (such as voice training, hair removal, and facial surgery) to those required to be covered by health insurance. The same day, Hawaii also enacted laws establishing a permanent "LGBTQ" commission in state government and formally prohibiting "LGBTQ" discrimination in juror selection.
Birth Certificates - North Carolina yielded in a lawsuit on June 23rd to allow people to change their sex on their birth certificates without undergoing surgery.
Dress Codes - On June 14th, the Charter Day School in Leland, NC, lost in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled en banc that a skirts-only dress code for girls violated Title IX.
Local Schools & Libraries - Parents and teachers sued Harrisonburg, VA, schools on June 1st, over a policy that asks all students for preferred names and pronouns and prohibits notifying parents if their children pick a different gender than their biological sex. On June 8th, mothers in Pittsburgh sued the school district, board, and teacher after their first-graders were given lessons on "gender identity." Under pressure, a group of libraries on Long Island reversed their prior removal of "Pride" displays from their children's sections on June 23rd, even though the materials were still available and displayed in the teen and adult sections.
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