(LifeSiteNews) — On the 9th of September, the Diocese of Pittsburgh issued a press release announcing that the rock band Switchfoot would be “headlining” its annual festival billed as “full day of live music, art, family fun, service and faith.” But this comes after the band has publicly supported LGBT ideology.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh Bishop Mark Eckman, one of Pope Leo XIV’s earliest appointments, has terminated the sole Traditional Latin Mass within the diocese.
In 2021, Religion News Service published an article regarding Switchfoot frontman John Foreman’s video supporting LGBTQ “rights and freedoms.” The video was posted in response to a video statement from Grace Semler Baldridge – a same-sex “married” singer. In the video, Baldridge proclaimed her admiration for Switchfoot, but said she was troubled that “they’ve actually never come out and said that they are LGBTQ-plus affirming.”
Foreman’s reply was unequivocal:
Hey Grace. How are you doing? I’m so honored you came to your show last night. I saw your story and wanted to respond and tell you ‘Yes, I support your rights and freedoms.
…
I’m so glad that you were there last night, in fact, it breaks my heart to think that you would not be accepted. Let me correct that. You and your journey and your story are welcome at a Switchfoot show.
…
Our music has always been for anyone who is open-minded enough to jump into the dialogue. Agnostic, atheist, consumerist, Jewish, Muslim, doubters, believers, haters, lovers, LGBTQ-plus and everyone else who is brave enough to look for meaning.
In November 2023, Baldridge posted a picture of herself with Foreman standing in front of a concert stage, saying, “A lot can happen in two years. I had a great birthday.”
Neither Foreman nor Switchfoot have retracted this stated pro-LGBT stance.
A lot can happen in two years. I had a great birthday. pic.twitter.com/nl8Q8x1nS5
— Semler (@gracebaldridge) November 13, 2023
The announcement by the Diocese of Pittsburgh that Switchfoot would be headlining the diocesan music and arts festival comes on the heels of Bishop Mark Eckman’s cancellation of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM).
Bishop Eckman’s predecessor, Bishop David Zubik, had twice requested and received permission for the TLM to continue at St. Titus church, both in 2022 and 2024. The second round of permission ended on September 4, 2026.
Eckman’s letter announcing his cold refusal to request permission a third time concluded by saying:
I know this decision will be difficult for some members of the faithful who have found spiritual nourishment in these celebrations. I am sincerely grateful for your love of the Eucharist, your devotion to the Church, and your desire to worship God faithfully. It is my hope that, as we continue to walk together in communion with the Church, we will all continue to grow in faith, charity, and unity.
The Church’s timeless teaching on LGBTQ issues
The Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly states that God created humans “male and female” and that “(p)hysical, moral, and spiritual difference and complementarity are oriented toward the goods of marriage and the flourishing of family life.”
“The harmony of the couple and of society depends in part on the way in which the complementarity, needs, and mutual support between the sexes are lived out,” the Catechism continues.
The Catechism further declares that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered” and “under no circumstances can they be approved” and that the homosexual inclination is “objectively disordered.”