Compass World: A Sliver of Pope for LGBTQ+ Rights
Debate over the Church's stance on LGBTQ+ rights is heating up in Vatican City.
(Wikimedia Commons)
In an unprecedented move, Pope Francis expressed support for civil unions for same-sex couples. In the new feature-length documentary “Francesco,” which premiered on October 21 at the Rome Film Festival, Pope Francis said, “Homosexual people have a right to be in a family… what we have to create is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered.” While his interest LGBTQ+ outreach is widely known within the Catholic Church, this message of support for same-sex unions is his clearest stance since he became pope in 2013. It is also the first time that a pope has expressed explicit support for same-sex civil unions. As the Pope’s historic statement spread across the world, attention is now turned towards how the 1.3 billion-strong global Catholic community will grapple with the Pope’s stance and, in turn, the Church’s doctrine on homosexuality.
Reject Tradition, Embrace… a New Tradition
While Pope Francis’s statement is a significant departure from his pontifical predecessors, observers note that it is mostly consistent with his previous stances on the LGBTQ+ community; for instance, he expressed support for civil unions between same-sex couples during his tenure as cardinal archbishop of Argentina. As Holy Father, Pope Francis often faced both backlash and admiration for his (comparatively) warmer interactions with LGBTQ+ Catholics. In 2013, when asked by a reporter about a “gay lobby” at the Vatican, Pope Francis responded with the now-famous remark: “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?” More recently, he was observed telling the parents of gay children that “Gay children [too] are children of God,” and that God “loves them as they are.” He also voiced hopes that the Church would become more welcoming of “non-traditional” family units - such as divorced, single parent, and same-sex parent households - moving forward.
Though these comments reflect a Pope who is much friendlier to the prospect of welcoming LGBTQ+ members to the Church, his stance is still consistent with Church doctrine. The Church does not explicitly say that being gay is a sin, but effectively condemns it: homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered,” and any non-heterosexual sexual orientations are “objectively disordered.” Due to these beliefs, the Church does not sanction marriage between same-sex couples, though a small number of priests have blessed such unions in the past. Previous popes have also voiced harsh opposition to homosexuality, with Pope Benedict XVI calling homosexuality an “intrinsic moral evil.” While Pope Francis largely distances himself from outright condemnations of the LGBTQ+ community (and often voices his wishes to integrate them into the greater Catholic community), his statement in the documentary stopped short of endorsing marriage. This suggests that his views are non-binding and largely inconsequential policy-wise, a stance which Rev. Antonio Spadaro, a fellow Jesuit and an ally of the pope, reiterated following the documentary’s premiere. Addressing the television channel of the Italian bishops conference on Wednesday evening, Rev. Spadaro stressed that the pope’s remarks “in no way affect doctrine.”
Schism
Despite Rev. Spadaro’s emphasis that Pope Francis’s recent comments will not alter Church doctrine, both supporters and detractors of the pope leapt at the remarks. Conservative clergy members expressed concern that the Holy Father was setting a dangerous precedent that could, in turn, challenge Church doctrine on homosexuality and marriage. Additionally, critics suggested that Pope Francis may be “diluting” the Church’s teachings on sexuality (including priestly celibacy, a hotly-contested topic that drove another wedge between liberal and conservative members of the Church earlier this year). Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence was one of the first high-ranking Catholic clergy to respond to this news. “Popes John Paul and Benedict, in formal teaching said that same-sex civil unions were wrong and that Catholics had to oppose them,” he wrote in a Twitter post, “Pope Francis, in a movie, said that same-sex civil unions were helpful and should be promoted. So, I ask, how could there possibly be any confusion?”
On the other hand, LGBTQ+ rights activists and liberal Catholics took to social media to express their excitement. In particular, Fr. James Martin, a prominent Jesuit priest and advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion, voiced his approval and highlighted the significance of the pope’s statement. Pointing to Poland and Uganda—countries where Catholic bishops have taken expressly anti-LGBTQ+ stances—Fr. Martin suggested that the pope’s non-binding statement will still be “a big deal” in environments that are hostile to LGBTQ+ individuals. “We always need to remember how this will be "received" by the worldwide church,” he wrote.
Another well-known public figure that welcomed this development was none other than António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General. A devout Catholic, Guterres expressed his support through the UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, who described the Pope’s support for same-sex civil unions as a “very positive move.”
“We’ll Hold Our Breath”
Both detractors and supporters of the pope’s statement have made their respective views clear. What happens now? Not much except waiting, according to many. Marianne Duddy-Burke, the executive director of DignityUSA (an organization of Catholic advocating for LGBTQ+ rights), questioned how impactful the pope’s support will be in reforming Church policy towards same-sex marriage in an interview with the Washington Post: “Is it a step forward, or is it a way to avoid going all the way toward same-sex sacramental marriage?” she asked. “Because we’ve experienced a push-pull from the church on this, we’ll hold our breath.”
