Homily from Cardinal Wilton Gregory at the 2024 Outreach Conference in Washington

From Aug. 2-4, 2024, at Georgetown University in Washington, LGBTQ+ Catholics and allies gathered for the annual Outreach Conference, meant to “build community, share best practices and worship together.” Ministers, scholars, students, journalists, artists, and many others took in panels and keynotes on a variety of topics, including (among others) the Catholic call to inclusivity, the role of women, and the challenge of intersectionality.

On Saturday, the nation’s lone African-American cardinal, Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington—whom Pope Francis commended for his participation—celebrated Mass for the conference at Dahlgren Chapel and delivered the following homily. It is reprinted here with permission.

“Welcome!”

It’s one of the more delightful words to be found in any language. It conveys a genuine sense of anticipation, warmth, and humanity. The term exudes a cordiality of feelings that I pray will be present for each one of you throughout this conference.

As you are well aware, you have gathered in the Archdiocese of Washington for your scheduled Outreach assembly at an extraordinary, if not risky, moment for our Church and country. The challenges that either one of these two illustrious institutions might offer us would provide more than ample reasons for our current angst and perhaps even distress. The increase in violence, the forfeiture of civility in public discourse, the disavowal of once well-known hallowed values can be found in both institutions. 

You, nonetheless, gather now for dialogue at this moment in time and your willingness to engage in sincere dialogue is itself a welcome source of hopefulness. In many respects you are engaging in an act of synodality—the vision and invitation proposed by Pope Francis that sincerely and openly speaking and listening to one another under the light and guidance of the Holy Spirit is the way that the Church grows in perfection.

John the Evangelist reminds us that unity—being joined with each other—is a goal to be achieved, and it remains a sign that Christ himself is there in our midst urging us to reflect the unity that he shares uniquely with His Father and invites us to share with Him.

Still, unity remains an elusive enterprise. Our national unity needs constant attention, as does the unity of our Church. Unity does not mean uniformity or sameness of opinion in heart and mind. There is a word that we frequently use to describe the spiritual connectedness that must be the goal of our Catholic Church: communion. Our country, too, has phrases that describe our desired unity:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Your assembly is dedicated to the pursuit of our becoming a more inclusive family of faith, welcoming others in spite of our differences. Occasionally, we may find it difficult as Catholics and as Americans to achieve such a state of being together harmoniously. Needless to say, such unity must remain a goal and a desire for both institutions, an aspiration that we must strive to achieve and to value. This gathering is an opportunity for people to listen to one another in love—knowing full well that we might see another’s position as difficult to understand and to accept.

The presence and the pastoral needs of our LGBTQ sisters and brothers may often be viewed as a volatile topic, but they must be faced with sincerity and genuine compassion. I pray that this conference advances that goal and makes us a stronger, holier, and more welcoming Church and nation.

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