Religion on Uránia

National Catholic Reporter: Pope Leo XIV Leaves the Question of Same-Sex Blessings Open

Wed, 20 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Comments by Pope Leo XIV regarding the blessing of same-sex couples could represent an open window to the future, according to the editorial board of the Catholic newspaper National Catholic Reporter (NCR).

Vatican Publishes Its First Official Report With Voices of Married Gay Catholics

Thu, 07 May 2026 12:00:00 +0400

The Vatican has published a Synod study group report that, for the first time in an official publication of this kind, includes detailed testimony from gay Catholic men married to men. As LGBTQ Nation reported , Catholic advocates working with LGBT believers described the step as historic.

“Monastic Desires” – A Book by Derek Krueger on Homoeroticism and Homophobia in Medieval Orthodoxy

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 05:30:00 +0400

Cambridge University Press has published the book “Monastic Desires: Homoeroticism, Homophobia, and the Love of God in Medieval Constantinople”.

Its author is Derek Krueger, an American historian of religion and a specialist in Byzantine Christianity. He explores Byzantine monasticism as a space where the renunciation of sexual life did not eliminate desire, but redirected it into religion.

Pope Leo XIV Opposes Formalised Blessings for Same-Sex Couples in Germany

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0400

Pope Leo XIV has spoken against efforts by German bishops to give same-sex blessings a more formal status. As LGBTQ Nation reports , he told journalists after his trip to Africa that the Vatican does not support formalised blessings for same-sex couples and other “irregular” unions beyond what Pope Francis had already allowed.

Female Images of God in the Old Testament

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0400

In biblical and ecclesiastical tradition, God is most often described using masculine imagery: Father, King, Judge, Warrior. However, the text of the Old Testament itself is more complex. It preserves maternal metaphors, feminine grammatical forms, and traces of the earlier religious world of the Ancient Near East.

Pope Leo XIV Says the Church Will Not Expand Same-Sex Blessings

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0400

On April 23, Pope Leo XIV signalled that the Vatican does not plan to go beyond the approach approved under Francis in the declaration Fiducia supplicans . As Reuters reported , he told journalists on his flight back to Rome that new steps on the issue could bring more disunity than unity to the Church.

Cardinal Marx Allows Blessings for Same-Sex Couples in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0400

On April 21, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising, officially allowed blessings for same-sex couples in his archdiocese. In a letter to priests and other pastoral workers, he described the guidelines “Segen gibt der Liebe Kraft” as the basis for their pastoral work. The move was reported by DIE ZEIT and evangelisch.de .

Catholic LGBT Leaders Condemn Trump’s Attacks on Pope Leo XIV

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0400

Catholic LGBT leaders have publicly responded to Donald Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo XIV. As the Washington Blade reports , some of the sharpest criticism came from New Ways Ministry Executive Director Francis DeBernardo and DignityUSA Executive Director Marianne Duddy-Burke.

Church in Wales Makes Blessing of Same-Sex Marriages Permanent

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0400

On 16 April 2026, the governing body of the Church in Wales voted to keep, on a permanent basis, a church service for same-sex couples. If two women or two men have already entered into a civil marriage or registered civil partnership under state law, a priest may then lead a separate church service blessing that union. The church itself will still not perform the legal marriage ceremony; this is only about a blessing after civil registration. BBC News reported the decision.

Ghana’s President Says Anti-LGBT Bill Is Not a Priority, Catholic Cardinal Turkson Also Opposes Criminalization

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0400

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama said a new anti-LGBT bill is “not a priority” for his government while the country faces pressing problems in education, healthcare, and employment. The statement was reported by 76crimes and Human Rights Watch .

A History of Kissing Between Men in Russia

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0300

For a long time, the history of non-heteronormative sexuality and male embodiment in Russia intertwined Orthodox rites, army life, and urban subcultures. Among pre-revolutionary practices, Easter khristosovanie stands out: a triple kiss between men on Bright Sunday, sanctioned by the Church and performed in public.

A Woman Leads the Anglican Church for the First Time. What Is Her Stance on LGBT Issues?

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 21:00:00 +0300

On March 25, Sarah Mullally was formally installed at Canterbury Cathedral as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury – the spiritual leader of the Church of England and the symbolic central figure of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Mullally became the first woman to hold the position in 1,400 years. Around two thousand guests attended the ceremony, including Prince William and Princess Catherine.

Saint Moses the Hungarian – One of the First Queer Figures in Russian History?

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0700

The Life of the Venerable Moses the Hungarian is one of the most unusual texts in Old Russian hagiography. A monk of the Kyiv Cave Monastery who was taken captive to Poland, he refused for years to marry a wealthy and powerful woman, was castrated for it, and was later canonized as a model of chastity.

Support for LGBT Rights in the US: PRRI's 2025 50-State Survey

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

The Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) is an independent American nonprofit research center that studies the intersection of religion, culture, and politics. As part of its 2025 American Values Atlas, the institute surveyed more than 22,000 American adults and produced an analysis of support for LGBT rights across all 50 states. The survey was conducted online from February 28 to December 8, 2025. The margin of error at the national level is ±0.87 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

The Story of a Medieval Arabic Source in Which the Women of the 'Rus' Were Called the World's First Lesbians

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In English-language academic and popular literature on the history of sexuality in the Middle East, one occasionally encounters the claim that the medieval Arab encyclopedist Shihab al-Din al-Nuwayri wrote that the women of the “Rus” practiced same-sex love, and that those women were the first in human history to engage in such practices.

A Queer Theological Reading of Leviticus 18:22: “Do Not Lie With A Man As With A Woman”

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 22:45:37 +0700

You shall not lie with a man as with a woman. It is an abomination (Lev. 18:22).

If a man lies with a man as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood is upon them (Lev. 20:13).

Adam Before Eve: Male or Androgynous? Theological Debates From the Church Fathers to the Present Day

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 22:45:37 +0700

In Genesis 2, God creates Eve from Adam’s rib. This prompts a basic question: what was Adam’s sex or gender status before Eve appeared – at a moment when “woman,” as a socially and linguistically formed category, has not yet entered the narrative?

Divine Homosexuality in the Ancient Egyptian Myth of Horus and Seth

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 22:45:37 +0700

One of the early Egyptian myths describes the confrontation between Set and his nephew Horus. In one episode, Seth tries to have sexual intercourse with Horus in order to humiliate him and confirm his superiority. Horus acts differently: he intercepts Seth’s sperm with his hand and throws it out.

Goddess Nephthys – a Lesbian?

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 22:45:37 +0700

Who is Nephthys

Nephthys was an ancient Egyptian goddess from the Heliopolis Ennead, a group of nine major gods worshiped in Heliopolis.

What Gender Is God in the Old Testament?

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 22:45:37 +0700

In many ancient religions, male deities are depicted with explicitly emphasized sexuality.

In the Bible, the portrayal is different. God is disclosed through Israel’s history and through the speech of the prophets, and these disclosures are preserved in the texts of the Old Testament. They describe how God presented Himself to people. Within these texts, He calls Himself the Father of Israel. Does this imply that God is male? No. Below are reasons why biblical language employs masculine terms without reducing God to male sex.

What Is Queer Theology

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 22:45:37 +0700

Queer theology is a branch of theological thought that draws on queer theory to analyze gender and sexual identity within religious contexts. It proposes new ways to read sacred texts, interpret religious traditions, and reconsider doctrines in light of the experience and concerns of LGBT people.