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Something new is happening in the Catholic Church. Its relationship with LGBT people in some parts of the country is changing. 
Last month, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, the archbishop of Newark, welcomed a large group of LGBT people to his cathedral. “I am Joseph, your brother,” he said, echoing words from the Old Testament. A Mass was then celebrated for the congregation of LGBT people. Under his predecessor, Archbishop John Meyers, such a Mass would have been close to unthinkable.
A few months earlier, Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky, spoke before New Ways Ministry, a group that ministers to and advocates for LGBT Catholics. In 1999, New Ways was subject to a condemnation by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and its two founders, the Rev. John Nugent (now deceased) and Sister Jeannine Gramick, were censured. That a sitting bishop would address the group is a sea change.
And earlier this month, a book I’ve written on the need for the church to reach out to LGBT people more compassionately was endorsed by two cardinals — Newark’s Cardinal Tobin and Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who heads the Vatican’s office on the laity, family and life. For good measure, Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego also endorsed the book. 
How has this happened? As I see it, there are two answers. 
The first is obvious: Pope Francis. We cannot underestimate the impact of his response to a question about gay priests: “Who am I to judge?” Later, when pressed, he said his comments referred to gay people in general. 
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During his visit to the United States in 2015, he met with a former student, a gay man named Yayo Grassi, and his partner. The pope’s words and actions betoken a friendlier attitude in the church, even if he has not changed any church teaching. And each of the clergy I have mentioned — Cardinals Tobin and Farrell, Bishops Stowe and McElroy — were appointed by Francis. 
The second reason why some in the church are taking a fresh look at its relationship with LGBT Catholics is happening in the grass roots.