(ZENIT News / Washington, DC, 18.09.2024).- The American activist LGBT + group called “New Ways Ministry” (NWM) announced that on November 15, 2024 it will grant its “Bridge Building Award” to Bishop John Stowe, OFM, Conv., “in recognition of his compassionate ministry, courageous witness and inspiring leadership in the name of LGBTQ+ Catholics.” This lobby announces on its Website that it is expected the awarded Bishop will attend and give an address.
In 2015, Pope Francis appointed Bishop John Stowe Bishop of the Lexington Diocese in Kentucky. Since then, he has been a constant and firm defender of LGBTQ+ issues in the Catholic Church in the United States. NWM points out that, “in addition to leading and taking part in numerous LGBTQ+ events, Bishop Stowe supported the statement of the Tyler Clementi Foundation to protect vulnerable young people and the Federal Equality Law, although the Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States was opposed to that Law.” Moreover, Stowe “has shown solidarity with the LGBTQ+ Catholic community by accepting a transgender man as a hermit in his Diocese (ZENIT talks about this here).
New Ways Ministry’s Bridge Building Award honours those individuals that, according to them, “through their erudition, leaderships or witness, have promoted debate, understanding and reconciliation between the LGBT community and the Catholic Church.” The award was given for the first time to Farther Charles Curran in 1992, a renown Moral theologian. Other award-winning individuals were Bishop Thomas Gumbleton in 1995; Sister Margaret Farley , RSM in 2002; Mary Ellen and Casey Lopata in 2005; John J. McNeill in 2009, and Father James Martin , SJ, in 2016. The ceremony to award the prize is open, but each attendee must pay US$50 and is also invited to be a sponsor for the “modest” amounts of US$2,500, US$1,000, US$500, or at least US$150.
