This article was originally published on May 9, 2026.
(LifeSiteNews) — The Courage International Apostolate, which for decades has helped Catholic men and women with same-sex attraction live chastely, issued a stern public response to the synod report that questioned that nature of homosexuality is sinful, accusing the authors of “calumny” for its depiction of the apostolate.
The report suggested a reframing of homosexuality, endorsing testimony without qualification that “sin, at its root, does not consist in the (same-sex) couple relationship” but in “a lack of faith in a God who desires our fulfilment.”
Citing a single testimony describing “problematic membership” in the group, the Vatican-commissioned Study Group 9 report characterized Courage’s approach as “reparative therapy” and condemned it for having “the effect of separating faith and sexuality.”
“Courage has suffered calumny and detraction before, but usually from secular outlets,” the group lamented. “It is a great sadness and an additional wound to our members to have this false and unjust depiction in a Vatican document.”
“Courage considers this report to be both calumny and detraction against the organization and its members,” its statement released on Friday declared. “Calumny, because the report mischaracterizes Courage’s work.”
“Courage is not nor ever has been involved in ‘reparative therapy,’ as alleged,” the statement explained. “The working group could have clarified this point by simply contacting Courage leadership. Rather than do so, however, the report presents one person’s experience and opinion as part of an official ecclesiastical document.”
That one person is an active homosexual who proudly described himself as being “married” to a man.
It is unjust to our members for the Synod to publicly present Courage meetings and members in a negative light on the basis of one person’s experience. This individual characterizes the meetings he attended as “secretive and hidden.”
Courage members understand those meetings to be confidential and secure – precisely so that they can speak candidly and vulnerably without fear of someone reporting about them. Which is what this individual does when he describes people at the meeting as “lonely, hopeless, and often depressed.”
Whether his estimation is correct, we don’t know. But it’s precisely because people often are lonely, hopeless, and depressed that we bring them together for support and insist on the confidentiality that enables them to speak freely about their struggles.
“Why would the Synod of Bishops publish interviews with men who reject Catholic teaching on the nature of marriage, inspired as it is by the Holy Spirit, as part of its effort to discern the workings of the Holy Spirit in the Church today?” asked Fr. Gerald E. Murray writing at The Catholic Thing on Saturday.
“The Synod has become the Holy See’s officially sponsored agent of destruction of Catholic doctrine, which is disparaged and dismissed as being deductive principles set forth in an immutable and rigid manner – sterile, regressive and ossified statements, as being “pre-packaged” doctrines, which are merely abstractions and theories,” Fr. Murray asserted.
He concluded:
This Vatican-sponsored destructive subversion must come to an end now. Souls are endangered by the scandalous false teachings being propagated by the Synod. Pope Leo needs to strengthen the brethren in the Faith by putting an end to this poisonous betrayal of God’s truth.