A petition to withdraw an invitation to pro-LGBT priest James Martin from the World Meeting of Families event has gained nearly 10,000 signatures.

The petition summary states that Fr James Martin should not be invited to the event as he “supports transgenderism for children,” and “favours homosexuals kissing during the mass.”

Fr Martin said recently that “LGBT Catholics bring unique gifts to the Church; both as individuals and as a community. These gifts build up the church in special ways, as St. Paul wrote when he compared the People of God to a human body.”

The petition was started by the Irish branch of Tradition, Family, Property.

They have posted the petition alongside an open letter to Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin asking him to stop the cleric from speaking at the event. The petition will also be sent to Auxiliary Bishops of Dublin, Bishop Raymond Field and Bishop Éamonn Walsh.

The letter states: “Fr Martin is a supporter of New Ways Ministry, a pro homosexual and lesbian religious organisation which has been declared gravely unacceptable by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“He has publicly accepted an award from this group, delivered a talk at their event and subsequently developed this talk in to a book.

“Fr Martin is also in disagreement with the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s reference to homosexual inclination as “gravely disordered”.

“In this way he would prevent those with same sex inclination from arriving at a true understanding of their condition in the light of church teaching and God’s mercy. This is a great disservice to those whom he purports to help.

“We believe that sowing error and confusion should have no place at the World Meeting of Families. For this reason, we strongly request you to disinvite Fr James Martin from speaking at so important an event.”

Fr Martin has previously spoken about his support of LGBT people in the Church, and the need to make them feel “included in their own Church.” He has been invited to speak at the World Meeting of Families event during Pope Francis’s visit this month.

Speaking to America magazine recently, he said, “We need to see LGBT people as full members of the church, by virtue of their baptism. They need to know that God loves them and their church accepts them.”

Independent.ie has reached out to the organisers of the World Meeting of Families for a comment.

Online Editors