When Pope Francis first uttered the rhetorical question “Who am I to judge gay people?” in 2013, many considered the words the beginning of a new, modern, and more tolerant Papal era.
On Sunday, during a press conference on the plane back from Pope Francis trip to Armenia, the subject of homosexuality was brought up again when questioned about the horrific Orlando mass shooting inside gay nightclub Pulse.
Cindy Wooden from Catholic News Agency said many felt that the Christian community was somehow behind this hate towards gay people. In response, Pope Francis anchored his firm stand against discrimination,
“I repeat what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: that they must not be discriminated against, that they must be respected and accompanied pastorally.”
Christians should apologize for helping to marginalize gays, pope says https://t.co/6RAITG60yF pic.twitter.com/20zF2LuKs3
— Catholic News Service (@CatholicNewsSvc) June 26, 2016
The church has historically condemned homosexuality, and Pope Francis has opened the door for a more tolerant relation between the church and the LGBT community.
Francis DeBernardo, the executive director of the Catholic gay rights group New Ways Ministry, feels according to CNN that these kind of statements gives “an immense blessing of healing,”
“No pope has said more welcoming words to LGBT people than when Pope Francis today offered his recommendation that the Church — indeed all Christians — should apologize for the harm religious traditions have caused to LGBT people. The pope’s statement was simple, yet powerful, and it fell from his lips so easily.”
Pope Francis included other groups deserving of the Christian church’s forgiveness during the press conference,
“I think that the Church must not only ask forgiveness […] to the gay person who is offended. But she must ask forgiveness to the poor too, to women who are exploited, to children who are exploited for labor. She must ask forgiveness for having blessed so many weapons. The Church must ask forgiveness for not behaving many times – when I say the Church, I mean Christians! The Church is holy, we are sinners!”
The statements have received overwhelmingly positive attention in media, confirming the Pope’s popularity and devout following. Of course, there are nutjob conservatives who don’t agree.
Catholic League President Bill Donohue, for example, responded,
“No. As a matter of fact, I want an apology from gays. I’ve been assaulted by gays. I’ve never assaulted a gay person in my entire life.”
Others, while greatly appreciative of Pope Francis’ statement, still feel that it’s not quite enough. Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, a leading organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Catholics told New York Times,
“For a pope to acknowledge that the church has done so much damage to gay people, and that we deserve an apology, is an unprecedented act of humility […] But a statement of remorse is only as good as the change in behavior that follows.”
Francis’s outreach is part of a broader effort to welcome people who have felt marginalized by the church. But the church’s core stand on homosexuality is still conservative, and not ready to fully accept all aspects of being gay.
For example, Francis has steadfastly opposed same-sex marriage. And taking a closer look at the transcript of the press conference, Francis’ description of a gay person leaves some question marks.
It appears that we are asked to accept the person “in spite of” his or her gayness, if the person is devout and a good Christian,
“The problem is a person that has a condition, that has good will and who seeks God, who are we to judge?”
This is not a full acceptance of gay people. In fact, many Christians believe gayness is a condition that can be treated, which can be a traumatic experience for the “patient.”
Still, Pope Francis has quite revolutionized the church. Even if some feel there is still a long way to go, the immense impact of Francis’ efforts to bring the church into the 21st Century cannot be underestimated.
he Christian gay community is finally welcome back home!
This is the video of Pope Francis’ press conference on the plane from Armenia Sunday, June 26:
Featured Image: Screenshot Via Twitter.
