It was a summer day in June when Father Jarek Pachocki was at Bishop Ryan Catholic Secondary School in Hamilton, watching a Pride flag raised into the sky.

The city’s Catholic school board trustees voted to start flying the flag in 2022 in support of students.

But not long after the ceremony, Pachocki, the co-pastor of the city’s St. Patrick Parish, says a school staff member confronted him.

“He basically told me I shouldn’t be here, the church shouldn’t be supporting LGBTQ people and he was quoting bible passages,” Pachocki said.

“My answer to him was, ‘I’m here for the students’ … I don’t think he heard what I said … he made up his mind and that’s quite often what happens.”

Religious leaders in Ontario say conversations about LGBTQ people are becoming more common among Christians — but it’s not all bad.

In fact, Pachocki and Rev. Karen Orlandi with the Silver Spire United Church in St. Catharines, Ont., say they’re seeing more LGBTQ acceptance among churchgoers.

“They’re not close-minded and when they focus on the human [aspect], it makes a difference,” Pachocki said. “The church is having a listening attitude … we’re going in the right direction.”

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CBC News
September 14, 2023