Queerness in the Catholic Church: Wanted, Loved, Blessed

Queerness in the Catholic Church is a collection of unique personal stories by several LGBTQIA+ Catholics who share their own experiences within the Church. Although the contributors are based in Germany, their experiences connect and relate to all Catholics who have experienced marginalization, discrimination, and hurt by the Church, yet also know the love, beauty, goodness, and faith of Catholicism. "The subtitle of this collection of painfully honest essays expresses an aspiration for how the Church should look upon our queer members: wanted, loved, blessed. What a wonderful and very faithful starting point for our way of relating to every member of the Body of Christ." —from the foreword Endorsements "Often people ask me, 'How can you be Catholic and LGBTQ?' The answer is easy: LGBTQ people who have been baptized Catholic are both. But just as often these questions are asked because the questioner has no experience with, and has heard no stories from, LGBTQ Catholics. This eye-opening new volume collects many such stories of both the 'joys and hopes' and 'griefs and anxieties,' as the Second Vatican Council said, of this important community in the Church. Come to know their stories, come to know these people, come to know this community, come to know compassion, come to know God." —James Martin, SJ, author of Building a Bridge Wolfgang F. Rothe was ordained a Catholic priest in 1996. He earned a doctorate in theology and canon law. He is best known for his work in Germany against sexism and homophobia in the Church. He is currently a pastor in Munich. †