In a significant step for inclusivity, the Pope has highlighted Sister Jeannine Gramick’s dedicated service to the LGBTQ+ community.
In a letter sent on 10 December, the Pontiff praised Gramick for her “years of closeness, compassion, and tenderness” for the queer community. “You have not been afraid of ‘closeness’.
he wrote. “And in getting close you did it ‘feeling the pain’ and without condemning anyone, but with the ‘tenderness’ of a sister and a mother.” For over the last 50 years, Gramick has used her voice in solidarity and support of LGBTQ+ people.
In 1977, the 80-year-old trailblazer created New Ways Ministry with co-founder Robert Nugent. The two established the organisation as an educational resource for Catholic individuals to learn about and support the LGBTQ+ community.