BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN: CHINESE TONGZHI CATHOLICS’ TALES/ edited by Eros Shaw, Mark Larrimore & Michael Clifton
- editors: Eros Shaw, Mark Larrimore and Michael Clifton
- publisher: SIRD
- published in: 2022
- language: English
“Eros opens up how the Good News of Jesus Christ contains, amongst its many, many implications, the possibility of openness and truth-telling about love between people of the same sex. These are part of the one, same communication of grace and mercy coming towards us from God. The friends and colleagues who Eros has brought together here show us something of what it looks like to have found yourself forced, by love, to stand your ground, and how the wolf deflates when it is faced with such faith.”
James Alison (Theologian, priest and author)
“In this book, another revolution is underway in gay Christians. Describing faith in the light of their ‘sinful’ sexuality is part of the transformative revolution of the gospel itself. As you read this book, I hope you will see what I mean by hearing what these writers say. Regardless of your own sexual preference, if your faith is not deepened by seeing how their faith became more authentic as a result of their existential and social ordeals, please read them again.”
Laurence Freeman OSB. (Director, World Community for Christian Meditation)
“In this book you will find stories which reflect the great variety of gay Catholics’ experiences: stories of hurt but also of healing, stories of hiding but also of courage to speak the truth, stories of conflict between personal experience and official teaching, and attempts to bridge that gap. I pray that this book will have a wide readership, and that all who read it will grow in courage to speak their own truth and to help the Church develop its ministry in this important area.”
Mgr Keith Barltrop (Diocese of Westminster chaplain to LGBT people)
“This is a profoundly important book which gives voice to Chinese LGBTQI+ Catholics living inside and outside of China. These testimonies are hugely insightful into the heartfelt desires and hopes and anguishes of Chinese men and women. The struggle of ‘coming out of the cabinet’, to live an open and authentic life as a gay person is an ongoing battle. Their stories, which we can all identify with to some degree, makes for compulsive reading. I cannot recommended this work by Eros highly enough.”
Ruby Almeida (Co-chair, Global Network of Rainbow Catholics)
“The stories in this book may challenge people to look at themselves and their faith in new ways. While that may be difficult, it is a good thing, and should be looked on as a gift from God. It is through these sharing of stories that our Church and our faith develop. May these stories help to bring light to our Church and to our world!”
Francis DeBernardo (Executive director, New Ways Ministry)