Dignity/Chicago

Dignity/Chicago Joins in Welcoming Pope Leo XIV

Dignity/Chicago joins with those around the world in offering our best wishes and prayers to Pope Leo XIV as he begins his new role of service to the church and the world.

The election of a new pope is always a moment of hope for our church. We are hopeful that the Papacy of Leo XIV will continue the best of Pope Francis' legacy. His opening statements first paid homage to Pope Francis and then reflected the universality of God's love and a church that embraces all. He shared his vision to be a missionary church which builds bridges and is open to receive everyone. We take these comments as a hopeful sign that he will continue building on Pope Francis’s commitment to synodality and social justice.

Mary Donnelly, President of Dignity/Chicago, said, "We will join with Catholics across Chicago to welcome Pope Leo XIV on any visits home. It is our hope that we are a witness to the faith of LGBTQI Catholics and that the families we form are part of a loving and just Church."

Pope Francis was the first Pope to grant an audience to a Dignity representative in its 55+ year history. We pray that the needs of those whom our church has historically marginalized, including LGBTQ+ people and their families, will continue to be heard and addressed by the Vatican and other church leaders. Dignity/Chicago and DignityUSA and its 30+ chapters across the United States continue to work towards achieving justice, equality, and full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in our church and society. We offer our experience to Pope Leo XIV as a resource towards furthering these achievements.

DignityUSA, its Chapters, and many other Catholic groups around the world are deeply committed to justice, equality, and full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in our church and society. We firmly believe that every human being is beloved by God and has equal dignity. We will continue this work until our goals are achieved.

Dignity/Chicago has ministered to Chicago-area LGBTQI Catholics and our allies since 1972. We serve the community through worship, spiritual education and social justice action.

Join us for Mass on the 1st and 4th Sundays of the month at 5:00 p.m., in-person at Broadway United Methodist Church, 3338 N. Broadway in Chicago. To join us via Teams, send a request to: dignitychicago@gmail.com.