At the same time, some described a growing fear for the queer community as the Trump administration<\/a> attempts to rescind various LGBTQ+ rights and protections, often using Christian or biblical rhetoric<\/a> to support these policies. <\/p>\n The recent liturgical service at Our Lady of Mount Carmel focused on family and friends of LGBTQ+ Catholics because so many parents and relatives have relayed trepidation at the increasing hostility of the national climate<\/a>, said Rick Guasco, co-director of AGLO Chicago. <\/p>\n \u201cThey want them to feel safe and feel accepted by the church,\u201d he said. \u201cThey want them to still feel connected to the faith they grew up in. What better way to send that message than to have a Mass that recognizes our families?\u201d <\/p>\n As worshippers bowed their heads, the Rev. Andy Matijevic offered a special prayer for the LGBTQ+ community and their loved ones. <\/p>\n \u201cShower your blessings on these families gathered here in your name,\u201d he said. \u201cEnable those who are joined by one love to support one another by their fervor of spirit and devotion to prayer.\u201d <\/p>\n The words made Charles tear up. <\/p>\n In the wood pew, he sat next to his fiance Philip Odango, who was raised Catholic. <\/p>\n \u201cWe have been, I feel like, building up to this moment,\u201d Odango said. \u201cBecause we have very deep conversations about faith and spirituality.\u201d <\/p>\n Even as the United Methodist Church made great strides toward LGBTQ+ inclusivity and reconciliation \u2014 lifting the denomination\u2019s longtime bans on gay marriage and clergy in 2024 \u2014 Charles said his wounds have remained. <\/p>\n \u201cNot only was I ousted but I was trying in my own way, however I could, just to provide counsel to other queer people who were being told similar things,\u201d he recalled. <\/p>\n Three days before Mass, the couple searched the terms \u201cgay\u201d and \u201cCatholic Church\u201d online, which led them to AGLO Chicago and the service at Our Lady of Mount Carmel. AGLO Chicago, which was founded in 1988, celebrates Mass weekly at Our Lady of Mount Carmel. <\/p>\n The simple act of walking side-by-side down the aisle of the English Gothic-style church and facing a Carrara marble altar proved empowering for the couple. <\/p>\n Stained glass images of archangels, known as protectors of humanity and messengers from God, loomed overhead in the apse. A pipe organ accompanied the liturgical service\u2019s hymns. <\/p>\n Odango was encouraged earlier this month when a Vatican official indicated Pope Leo will continue to allow blessings for same-sex couples, which were first approved through a landmark and controversial declaration<\/a> of his predecessor Pope Francis in 2023. <\/p>\n \u201cOne of the things I think everyone loved about Pope Francis was leading with humility,\u201d Odango said. \u201cWe\u2019re hoping Pope Leo will continue that journey of leading with humility. \u2026 I\u2019m hopeful Pope Leo will continue to be inclusive.\u201d <\/p>\n Same-sex blessings were an important first step, Odango said. <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t foresee it quite yet where we\u2019re getting a marriage certificate through the church,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n But one can dream, Charles added. <\/p>\n \u2018Hear our prayer\u2019<\/p>\n Through a series of petitions, worshippers at Our Lady of Mount Carmel prayed that the church serves as an instrument of healing rather than hurt; of reconciliation rather than division. <\/p>\n That fear, judgment, apathy and walls to this healing will be replaced with attentiveness and care. <\/p>\n And that all who are in need of God\u2019s healing touch \u2014 especially those in the LGBTQ+ community \u2014 will find welcome in the living body of Christ and the church. <\/p>\n \u201cLord, hear our prayer,\u201d they responded in unison after each supplication. <\/p>\n In the group\u2019s May newsletter, AGLO Chicago co-director Angelina Rossi welcomed Pope Leo XIV\u2019s May 8 election,<\/a> noting that his first message to the world from the loggia of St. Peter\u2019s Basilica began with the words \u201cpeace be with you all.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cHe asked that we be a church with open arms for everyone and that he believes in dialogue, love, and charity, especially to those who are suffering,\u201d she wrote in the article. \u201cWe hope he is including the LGBTQ+ Catholic community in there as well.\u201d <\/p>\n So far, his stance on LGBTQ+ inclusion has been complicated. <\/p>\n In 2012, as the Augustinian prior general in Chicago, he made critical statements<\/a> of what he referred to as the \u201chomosexual lifestyle\u201d as well as the media\u2019s promotion of acceptance of same-sex marriage, which is in conflict with Catholic doctrine. <\/p>\n A little over a week into his papacy, he upheld that family is \u201cfounded upon the stable union between a man and a woman\u201d during his first meeting<\/a> with the Vatican diplomatic corps. <\/p>\n Yet many LGBTQ+ advocates were heartened earlier this month when the head of the Vatican\u2019s doctrine office told Italian media that the blessing of same-sex couples \u201cwill remain\u201d<\/a> under Pope Leo. <\/p>\n Under Pope Francis, the groundbreaking document<\/a> entitled \u201cFiducia Supplicans\u201d permitted blessings of people in same-sex relationships, so long as they\u2019re not confused or conflated with the ritual of marriage, while still maintaining the church\u2019s strict ban on gay marriage. <\/p>\n The declaration, a hallmark of Pope Francis\u2019 decade-long outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics, also faced great opposition<\/a> around the globe. Many Catholic leaders rejected<\/a> the pope\u2019s stance, with bishops in Africa, Poland and other parts of the world refusing to implement the policy or barring their clergy from offering these blessings. <\/p>\n![\"Matt](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ctc-l-lgbtq-outreach-mass-15_231365882-e1752871983182.jpg\")
Matt Peterson, from left, Inigo Curran and Carlos Gonzalez attend an LGBTQ outreach mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on July 13, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"Rick](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ctc-l-lgbtq-outreach-mass-05_231365724-e1752872371724.jpg\")
Rick Guasco, co-director of AGLO Chicago, speaks to attendees during an LGBTQ outreach mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on July 13, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ctc-l-lgbtq-outreach-mass-21_231365980-e1752872518664.jpg\")
The Rev. Andy Matijevic, center, and Angelina Rossi, right, answer questions after an LGBTQ outreach mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on July 13, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ctc-l-lgbtq-outreach-mass-17_231365964.jpg\")
The Rev. Andy Matijevic blesses Valentino Zubiri after an LGBTQ outreach mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on July 13, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n