On Christian Accompaniment, by Robert W. Shaffern

During the past month, which will probably forever now bear the name of the first of the Deadly Sins (Pride), numerous figures both inside and outside the Church encouraged us to accompany, walk with, and stand by folks who identify somewhere along the LGBTQ+ spectrum. They tell us that Jesus welcomed sinners and that Catholics ought to as well, in imitation of the one whose Sacred Heart gets diminished, even mocked amid the parades, corporate endorsements, and professional sports theme nights.

Fr. James Martin, S.J., exhorts his readers and listeners to accept people “as they are.” Catholics are told to get behind these initiatives, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church is invoked in support, for it instructs the faithful to treat same-sex attracted people with compassion and as brothers and sisters.  …