Queer God de Amor explores the mystery of God and the relationship between divine and human persons. It does so by turning to the sixteenth-century writings of John of the Cross on mystical union with God and the metaphor of sexual relationship that he uses to describe this union. John’s poems offer a fitting source for rethinking the Christian doctrine of God as “un no sé qué,” “an I know not what.” Reflecting a long tradition of Christian theologians, John invites us to denounce idols that confine God to human experiences, images, or theological constructs. In affirming the ineffable mystery of God, John presents us with what I name as our queer God de Amor, a God who disrupts our notions of where divine love is offered and humanly received. This talk explores how his mystical theology enables us to re-think the mystery of God and birth new liberating possibilities that resonate with queer Christian experiences.

Miguel H. Díaz is the John Courtney Murray, S.J., University Chair in Public Service at Loyola University Chicago. Dr. Díaz served under President Barack Obama as the 9th U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See. He is a co-editor of the series Disruptive Cartographers: Doing Theology Latinamente. He is editor of the multi-authored volume one, The Word Became Culture (Orbis 2020) and the author of the third volume, Queer God de Amor (Fordham University Press, 2022). As a public theologian, Professor Diaz regularly engages print, radio, and television media. He is a contributor to the “Theology en la Plaza” column for the National Catholic Reporter. As part of his ongoing commitment to advance human rights globally, he participates in several diplomatic initiatives in Washington, D.C., including being a member of the Atlantic Council, a member of the Ambassadors Circle at the National Democratic Institute (NDI), and a member of the Board and Senior Fellow for Religion and Peacebuilding for the Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP).