California Catholic Daily is reporting that Vincent Pizzuto, was promoted to chair of theology at the University of San Francisco after being ordained as a pastor for the New Skellig Community Church, which is described as a Celtic Christian church.
According to the New Skellig weddings page, written by Pizzuto, “The Celtic Christian church affirms and celebrates the essential right of all people to marry. Because the Celtic Christian church is a canonically independent catholic church whose governing principles prioritize the ‘Law of Love’ above rules and regulations, we are especially sensitive to couples who have been alienated from their church of origin, or who find that their marriage is unjustly prohibited in some Christian institutions.”
Among those listed are: previously divorced, same-gendered,and inter-religious couples.
Pizzuto serves as associate professor of New Testament and Chair of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies. He received his Ph.D. (STD) in New Testament Exegesis from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium (2003). He has appeared as a theological consultant on the National Geographic channel and served as a panelist on National Public Radio. He is the former director of Catholic Studies.
According to his USF bio, he offers workshops, retreats, and lectures on topics such as gay/lesbian spirituality and Celtic Christianity. His research areas include LGBT hermeneutics and theology and green theology. Among his publications are: "Ecological Hermeneutic of Col 1:15-20: A Panentheistic Proposal," in Confronting the Climate Crisis: Catholic Theological Perspectives, Jame Shaefer, ed., Maquette: University Press, 2011; "Christianity and Homosexuality" in Encyclopedia of Gender and Society, SAGE Publications, 2009; and "God Has Made it Plain To Them: An Indictment of Rome's Hermeneutic of Homophobia," Biblical Theology Bulletin 38:4 (Winter 2008), 163-83.
In his "God Has Made it Plain to Them" journal article, Pizzuto argues that "systematic homophobia is pervasive throughout the Roman Catholic hierarchy," and ends with a "critique" of what he describes as "the tragic pastoral ramifications of Rome's current position on homosexuality."
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