LGBT news outlet praises Pope Leo XIV's latest bishop appointments
An outlet covering LGBTQ+ issues has welcomed Pope Leo XIV's appointment of four bishops, among them Ramón Bejarano, who let a drag queen speak at a Pride Mass in San Diego, while conservatives have raised doctrinal concerns
A news outlet covering LGBTQ+ issues has praised Pope Leo XIV for recent appointments of bishops it regards as pro-LGBT. The article, headlined "Pope Leo's recent appointments include a bishop who had a drag queen speak at Mass," draws heavily on a liberal Catholic Substack, "Cartas de Leo" ("Letters from Leo"), written by former Obama aide Christopher Hale.
It focuses on the installation of four bishops: James Checchio for New Orleans, Ramón Bejarano for Monterey in California, Christian Würtz for Eichstätt in Germany, and Thomas Hennen for Baker in Oregon.
Bejarano, then an auxiliary bishop of San Diego, celebrated a Pride-themed Mass titled "All Are Welcome," at which a drag queen activist was allowed to speak. During the Mass, Bejarano apologized for the "pain and anguish" the Church has caused, saying: "I apologize for the stigmatization and the trauma we have caused others."
The drag queen, known as "Nicole Murray-Ramirez," thanked Bejarano for his support of the LGBTQ+ community and highlighted the importance of his sermon, which stressed that "God loves all of us just as we are." Murray-Ramirez wrote on Facebook that it was an honor to speak and that Bejarano received a lengthy ovation. Photographs show the drag queen posing with Bejarano, who was also photographed with San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, known for being open about his sexual orientation.
Würtz has been criticized for supporting "blessings" for same-sex couples and for contradicting Church teaching by saying that sodomy "is not sinful." He was one of 38 German bishops who in 2023 voted for a document backing "blessings" for homosexual couples and for divorced people who "remarry." In 2022 he supported a German Synodal Way document that described homosexual acts as "not sinful" and "not intrinsically evil."
Checchio, 60, has been accused of covering up abuse by former cardinal Theodore McCarrick and has backed pro-LGBT initiatives, including invitations to dissident priests to speak in his diocese. Pope Francis named Checchio bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen in 2016, and McCarrick presided at his episcopal consecration. During his tenure he did not disclose information about sexual abuse settlements in the diocese totaling $180,000.
Hennen helped draft pastoral guidelines for "sexual and gender minorities" in the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa. Although in 2019 he said homosexual acts are "intrinsically disordered," he sat on a committee that produced guidelines that make no mention of the call to chastity for people with same-sex attraction.
Criticism from conservatives
The appointments have drawn criticism from conservatives in the Church. Bishop Joseph Strickland said he was concerned that, with Hennen's appointment, Pope Leo XIV is deepening the ambiguity that has affected the Church rather than correcting the direction set by his predecessor, Pope Francis. Strickland called the pastoral guidelines a "doctrinal swamp" that undermines Catholic clarity and weakens the call to chastity.
