​March 4, 2026 National Catholic Reporter​:  According to Kate Berry, the co-founder of Catholic Allies, there had never really been a grand plan to start an organization to promote love and respect for the LGBTQ+ community among Catholics in Indianapolis.  "The other Catholic Allies co-founder, Danielle Noel Wiese and I were good friends," said Berry. "We were in a book club together with a bunch of our high school girlfriends. We had all attended Catholic schools and had loved it. But as we all became parents, we discussed how we wanted to raise our children as loving and respectful. We wanted them to show love and compassion towards everyone — including members of the LGBTQ+ community. We felt that we needed to show our kids at home how to do that."       As a result, the nonprofit Catholic Allies was officially created in 2023 by Berry, a physician assistant and Danielle Wiese, a pediatrician. Some of their high school friends joined in to publicize the new group in their own parishes.     "Changing church doctrine about homosexuality or challenging others' personal beliefs is not our mission," said Denise McGonigal, who serves as a director of communications for Catholic Allies.They: refer people to paragraph 2358 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "They (homosexual individuals) must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided."