Father, Lesbian Daughter Prohibited From Speaking at Church

From the Minnesota Monitor:

The Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis has prohibited a father and his lesbian daughter from giving a talk Monday night at a Minneapolis church.

Robert and Carol Curoe were scheduled to give a talk about their book, "Are There Closets in Heaven? A Catholic Father and Lesbian Daughter Share Their Story," about a Catholic family coming to terms with their daughter's coming out. The announcement of the talk several weeks ago spawned discussion on Catholic blogs, and according to the archdiocese statement to the church, "the number and intensity" of phone calls and emails opposing the event led the archdiocese to ban the event.

The Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities (CPCSM) and Catholic Rainbow Parents had sponsored the talk at St. Frances Cabrini Church. "Obviously, we're disappointed, and we are still trying to understand it," said Carol Curoe in a statement Sunday. "Our book, Are There Closets in Heaven? talks about an 82 year-old, life-long Catholic father trying to understand and practice his faith within his church while also loving his daughter as he does her siblings. Neither our journey, nor writing the book, was an easy task."

They will speak at the House of the Beloved Disciple located at 2930 13th Ave. S., Minneapolis on Monday, October 22, at 8:00 p.m.