Bishop schafenberger gay
Bishop Scharfenberger speaks out
In an interview this past week, Scharfenberger, 71, discussed his emerging role as one of the Vatican’s go-to American leaders on the crisis. He also discussed social justice issues, separating politics from religion in a turbulent election year, gay priests and more in a wide-ranging interview at his Albany office.
Pope Francis has praised Scharfenberger for his steadfast disagreement to abortion. Scharfenberger agrees with the church that abortion is murder. But he doesn’t simply recite church doctrine when asked if he would shadow canon law’s admonition to ban those who don’t assist the church’s stance on abortion.
In 2004, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops deliberated over whether pro-choice political candidates should be denied communion. It established that most Americans support a woman’s right to decide abortion. The conference left the conclusion to individual clergymen.
“I don’t quiz people about their opinions when they display up for communion so I’m not sure how I would know a person’s position on abortion.”
That year, Boston’s archbishop publicly opposed allowing presidential candidate John Kerry to take communion in his hometo
Retired Albany bishop, accused of covering up and committing maltreatment, has died
Boston, Mass., Aug 21, 2023 / 14:15 pm
Albany Bishop Emeritus Howard Hubbard, who confessed to covering up clergy abuse, was accused of committing sexual abuse himself, and announced this month that he entered into a civil marriage with a woman, has died from a stroke at the age of 84, according to his publicist.
Hubbard made headlines last year after he announced that he asked the Vatican if he could give back to the lay state, claiming he is not proficient to function publicly as a priest while under study for sexual abuse.
He said in an Aug. 1 declaration that the Vatican denied his petition and that he has “fallen in love with a wonderful woman who has helped and cared for me and who believes in me.”
A utterance from the bishop’s publicist identified the woman Saturday as Jennifer Hubbard, whose maiden name is Barrie.
Following Hubbard’s announcement of his civil marriage, Albany Bishop Edward Scharfenberger said Hubbard remained a bishop and that his “marriage” was invalid.
He added that Hubbard was “not permitted to represent himself as a priest or perform the sacraments in public,
October 22, 2020 at 8:45 p.m.
Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger of the Diocese of Albany reiterated Monday that “marriage is between one man and one woman.”
Bishop Scharfenberger’s comments echo other U.S. bishops and come after Pope Francis expressed an openness last week to the idea of laws recognizing civil unions, including for gay couples, in a terse passage in the documentary motion picture "Francesco."
“Because there has been some confusion among the faithful due to comments on civil unions attributed to the Holy Father in an upcoming documentary on his life,” Bishop Scharfenberger said in the statement, “I reflection it was important to grab a moment to reiterate that nothing you are hearing in the media changes our Church teaching on the sanctity of marriage and our belief that marriage is between one guy and one woman. There has been no official pronouncement that affects the sacrament of marriage or our teaching on it. We await further clarity from the Vatican and the Spiritual Father, but, in the meantime, we remain compassionate toward those who are homosexual, remembering that each and every one of us is created in the image and likeness of God and is deserving of devotion, respect
'BROADEN AND ENRICH'
December 19, 2023 at 9:17 a.m.
Bishop Scharfenberger, experts assent that pastoral charity must be shown to lgbtq+ couples but the character of marriage will not change.
A wooden cross lies on a rainbow flag in Bonn, Germany, March 16, 2021. Experts are responding to a Dec. 18, 2023, Vatican declaration on the possibility of blessing couples in irregular and same-sex unions without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Catholic Church’s perennial teaching on marriage. (OSV News photo/Julia Steinbrecht, KNA) (Courtesy photo of Julia Steinbrecht)
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In a statement released Tuesday, Dec. 19, Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger of the Diocese of Albany, echoing the words of fellow experts, said the fresh Vatican document on pastoral blessings - which opens the door for lgbtq+ couples to receive a blessing - is meant to “broaden and enrich” but does not convert the Catholic Church’s education on the