Patricia Montemurri

Detroit Free Press

Fortunate Families is a Detroit-area support group for Catholic families with LGBT members.

The director of New Ways Ministry%2C censured by Vatican%2C is to speak Saturday to Fortunate Families.

Detroit archdiocese spokesman Joe Kohn said New Ways Ministry is not an approved organization.

Fortunate Families has moved its meeting from Detroit Christ the King parish to another location.

The Archdiocese of Detroit has banned a support group for Catholic families with gay members from using a Detroit parish for a Saturday meeting because the scheduled speaker represents a pro-gay rights ministry censured by the Vatican.

It comes a month after Catholic bishops publicly feuded at a Vatican meeting over Pope Francis' more welcoming words and outreach to gay Catholics and their families.

"I feel bad for the message that it sends to Catholics that there can't be discussion of an issue of great importance to them and their families — how to stay in better communication with their church and their gay and lesbian children," said Francis DeBernardo, executive director of Maryland-based New Ways Ministry, an advocacy group for Catholics who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), but which is not sanctioned by the Catholic church.

Archbishop Allen Vigneron has quashed DeBernardo's scheduled appearance Saturday at Christ the King parish in northwest Detroit to the Fortunate Families support group. Instead, Fortunate Families organizers have moved the meeting to a Farmington Hills condo clubhouse.

Linda Karle-Nelson of Farmington Hills — who with her husband, Tom, are Catholic gay rights activists and lead the Fortunate Families support group — said they learned last week they would not be able to host Saturday's meeting at the Detroit church, even though that's where they held last year's gathering.

The difference, said Karle-Nelson, is that Saturday's meeting will feature DeBernardo.

In 1999, the Vatican censured New Ways Ministry's cofounders, a Catholic priest and nun, contending their outreach to gay Catholics did not do enough to promote Catholic teaching that gay sexual relationships are "intrinsically disordered" and sinful.

Joe Kohn, a spokesman for Archbishop Vigneron, said New Ways Ministry is not an approved organization to address Catholic teachings on homosexuality.

"It was brought to the archdiocese's attention a few weeks back that New Ways Ministry had been scheduled to speak at Christ the King Church," Kohn said in a statement. "Because New Ways Ministry had been identified as a group that might cause confusion in regards to Catholic church teaching, the archdiocese did clarify that a presentation by New Ways Ministry should not be hosted on church property."

Last year, Vigneron drew national attention for saying that Catholics who support gay unions and gay marriages should refrain from receiving the sacrament of communion.

New Ways' DeBernardo, who was in Rome attending gay rights events during the bishops' meeting, said the Detroit archdiocese's actions run counter to Pope Francis' more sympathetic posture toward gay Catholics.

The Rev. Victor Clore, pastor of Christ the King parish, said he was notified last week by an archdiocese official that the parish could not host the meeting. Clore said the archdiocese's position was discouraging.

"I'll give you a quote from one of my parishioners, who said: 'It amazes me how Pope Francis eagerly and happily engages those who openly deny the divinity of Christ, yet (New Ways) DeBernardo is deemed unworthy to enter our church,' " Clore stated.

"That's pretty much my feeling, too," said Clore. "It's treating people as if they were children."

Karle-Nelson said she fears interested Catholics might be confused by the change of location. Last year's meeting drew about 40 participants, with some walk-ins. She said 22 people are registered for Saturday's gathering so far.

"It's really been a problem trying to get the information out to people who have registered and those who might want to walk in," said Karle-Nelson.

"The reason we invited Frank DeBernardo, is he just returned from Rome and the Synod on the family, and he was going to share his perspective and where do we go from here," said Karle-Nelson. "The pope has asked for reactions and to weigh in."

New Ways Ministry has long drawn criticism from conservative Catholics.

It was Detroit Cardinal Adam Maida who conducted a lengthy investigation of New Ways founders at the behest of church officials during the 1980s and 1990s.

Jay McNally, a former editor of the Detroit archdiocese's Michigan Catholic newspaper and conservative Catholic activist who is the director of the Ypsilanti-based Citizens Alliance for Life and Liberty, said Vigneron's action is appropriate.

"The problem with having that guy speaking at a Catholic parish is that he is fundamentally opposed to church teaching, and they distort church teaching," said McNally. "Therefore, the archdiocese has done the right thing and it should not be held on church property. It creates more chaos and confusion in the minds of the faithful."

Contact Patricia Montemurri: 313-223-4538 or pmontemurri@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @pmontemurri

If you go

To learn more about attending Saturday's Fortunate Families gathering, call Linda Karle-Nelson at 313-670-2613. For more information about Fortunate Families, email info@fortunatefamilies.com.