ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Francis says Jesus would never turn away transgender faithful and that priests today should accompany them spiritually, even if they undergo sex change operations, sin and repent.

Source: Pope Francis urges pastoral care for transgender people, draws line between ministry and ‘indoctrination’ - The Washington Post

The U.S. public expresses a clear consensus on the contentious question of whether employers who have religious objections to contraception should be required to provide it in health insurance plans for their employees. Fully two-thirds of American adults say such businesses should be required to cover birth control as part of their employees’ insurance plans, according to a new Pew Research Center survey, while just three-in-ten say businesses should be allowed to refuse to cover contraception for religious reasons.

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DIVIDE BETWEEN METHODISTS OVER GAY RIGHTS ISSUE WIDENS AS PRO-GAY RIGHTS MEMBERS PROTEST AGAINST CHURCH’S DECISION TO REMOVE A LESBIAN PASTOR FROM HER POSITION. The Methodist Church is facing turbulent times with members getting divided into two factions: those who support gay rights and those who do not. Though Christianity has teachings that conflict with the rights of homosexuals, the Methodist church has been increasingly becoming more and more lenient towards the LGBT community. This chasm between supporters and non-supporters became clear in the aftermath of Reverend...

Leaders of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups expressed dismay on Wednesday after Pope Francis said that schoolchildren are being taught they can choose their gender as part of what he called an “ideological colonization.”

Source: Pope Francis’ Remarks Disappoint Gay and Transgender Groups - The New York Times