In advance of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the US, three prominent gay Catholics have urged the pontiff to enter into a dialogue with lesbian and gay Catholics.

They addressed the pontiff through open statements about their lives, loves, and hopes for the church at a press conference at the end of last week.

The event entitled 'A Few Minutes with the Pope: Lesbian/Gay Catholics Speak About Their Church' was sponsored by New Ways Ministry, a 31-year-old national Catholic ministry of justice and reconciliation for lesbian and gay Catholics.

It featured panellists, all of whom are lesbian or gay Catholics, and included outstanding names from the worlds of literature, government, and health care including Gregory Maguire, author of more than a dozen children’s novels and several for adults, most notably Wicked, which has been adapted into the Tony-award winning Broadway musical show.

Speakers also included Deborah Mizeur, an instructor of health politics and health financing at Georgetown University, and a former congressional advisor on healthy policy to the Committee on Ways and Means and Heather Mizeur, a recognized leader in the debate about legalizing same-sex marriage.

New Ways Ministry’s Executive Director, Francis DeBernardo, explained why they felt it was important for the pope to hear the messages of lesbian and gay people. He noted Benedict’s former role in shaping Church teaching. “As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under John Paul II, this churchman was the prime architect of policies and new teachings which were responsible for turning back from a more positive and accepting Catholic approach toward lesbian/gay people that had begun to develop in many dioceses and church institutions in the US and throughout the world.” he said.

DeBernardo explained that New Ways Ministry has long advocated for Church leaders to initiate a dialogue with lesbian and gay people, so that Church teaching could be developed from a more informed and enlightened position.

“We hope that the personal experiences described today by our panelists will not only provide much needed information and insights for Catholic leaders, but will model the type of dialogic Church we envision,” he said.