Reuters – A man waves an LGBT equality rainbow flag at a celebration rally in West Hollywood, California, United States.
An upcoming Catholic conference called the “Truth and Love” project is going to help people understand same-sex attraction and come to terms with their sexual identity.
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix and Father Paul Check, the executive director of Courage International, said the event will gather the clergy, lay ministers, and medical and mental health professionals to tackle this issue, according to the Catholic News Agency.
The event will be held from Jan. 9 to 11, 2017 at St. Paul Catholic Church in Phoenix, Arizona. The conference’s sponsors are the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, the Catholic apostolate Courage, and the Catholic publishing company Our Sunday Visitor.
In a statement, Olmsted and Check said the project “endeavours to bring the clarity and charity of Catholic teaching to challenging questions, while never losing sight of individual people.” The event hopes to offer “sound practical and pastoral guidance.”
Aside from Olmsted and Check, among those expected to speak at the event are Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, auxiliary Bishop Michael J. Byrnes of Detroit, and Courage associate director Father Philip Bochanski.
Deacon Timothy Flanigan, M.D., a Brown Medical School professor who has specialised on HIV care, will also share his thoughts on same-sex attraction. Dr. Andrew W. Lichtenwalner, executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, and Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, founder of the Ruth Institute, are also expected to speak.
These experts will touch on LGBT issues with a Christian view and share what Scripture has to say about homosexuality.
The conference will also feature the testimonies of people who have experienced same-sex attractions. They will share how the Catholic church and their friends helped them figure out their real sexual identity. The conference will open and close with a mass.
