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| Pope Francis |
Has Pope Francis taken a
dramatic new tone on homosexuality? Has he broken with former Pope Benedict's
approach? Here are 7 things you need to know . . .
The press is buzzing
right now with claims that Pope Francis has taken a sharply different line than
his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, on the subject of homosexuality.
Some are suggesting that
the new pope has announced that "gay is okay."
What did Pope Francis
really say, and how unusual is it?
Here are 7 things to
know and share . . .
1) Where did Pope Francis
make these remarks?
He made them during an
80-minute interview with reporters aboard the plane returning from World Youth
Day in Brazil.
2) What was he asked
that led to the remarks?
We may not know exactly
what the question was until a transcript is released, but apparently, he was
asked about the reputed "gay lobby" at the Vatican.
3) What exactly did he
say?
According to the best
current accounts, he said:
There's a lot of talk about the gay lobby, but
I've never seen it on the Vatican ID card.
When I meet a gay person, I have to distinguish
between their being gay and being part of a lobby. If they accept the Lord and
have goodwill, who am I to judge them? They shouldn't be marginalized. The
tendency [i.e., same-sex attraction] is not the problem ... they're our
brothers.
4) What does this mean?
The first part of the
statement seems to downplay the who "gay lobby" issue. He's not
denying that there is one there, but he's suggesting that the talk is somewhat
overblown.
He then explains his
approach to dealing with gay people: He distinguishes between their "being
gay" and "being part of a lobby."
What he means by
"being gay" is something he further unpacks.
In ordinary parlance,
"being gay" can mean anything from having same-sex attraction to
leading an active "gay lifestyle" to endorsing and advocating a
pro-homosexual ideology.
The last of these would
be functioning as a member of a lobby, and he indicates that this is not what
he is talking about.
He then describes those
he is talking about as people who "accept the Lord and have
goodwill."
He then seems to further
clarify who he is talking about by saying that "The tendency [i.e.,
same-sex attraction] is not the problem ... they're our brothers."
Taking his statements
together, what emerges is a portrait of individuals who have same-sex
attraction but who nevertheless accept the Lord and have goodwill, as opposed
to working to advance a pro-homosexual ideology.
This would definitely
include people with same-sex attraction who strive to live chastely (even if
they sometimes fail).
It also, possibly, could
include individuals who are not living chastely but who are not actively
lobbying a homosexual agenda. It would be nice if he'd said a little more to
clarify the point further.
5) What does he say
about people in this category?
He says that he does not think
he is in a position to judge them and that they should not be marginalized.
He also says that the mere
tendency (same-sex attraction) "is not the problem," and that
"they're our brothers."
6) How new is this?
Not very.
Disclaiming a right to
"judge" others is something that goes back to Jesus. It does not mean
a failure to recognize the moral character of others' actions, however.
One can form a moral
appraisal that what someone else is doing is wrong (Jesus obviously does not
forbid that) without having or showing malice toward them.
The statement that they
should not be marginalized is similarly in keeping with the Holy See's approach
to the subject, as 1992 Vatican document On the Pastoral
Care of Homosexual Persons.
The statement that
same-sex attraction "is not the problem," when understood correctly,
is also nothing new. "The problem," as Pope Francis seems to here be
understanding it, is going beyond merely having a sinful tendency--a temptation
to which one is subject.
Obviously, temptations
are problem, but if we resist temptation we do not sin. "The
problem," on this understanding, is giving into the temptation and sinning
or--worse--building an ideology around the sin and trying to advocate the sin.
Finally, the statement
that "they're our brothers" is also no novelty. Christians, like
everyone, have struggled with every sort of temptation all through history.
Same-sex attraction is
just one temptation among numerous others, and the fact that a person suffers
from this temptation no more deprives him of the status of being a brother in
Christ than any other temptation does.
7) How different is any
of this compared to Pope Benedict?
The press has been (as
usual) trying to make unfavorable comparisons to Pope Benedit, noting that
during his time the Holy See issued a document
saying that those with deep-seated homosexual tendencies should not be ordained
to the priesthood.
Pope Francis did not
mention that document or its policy and so has done nothing different than
Benedict there.
Neither are any of
Francis's remarks contrary to the approach Benedict took during his
pontificate.
In fact, Benedict
himself (as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) was the signer of the
previosly-mentioned letter on the
Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons, as well as the follow-up
document on non-discrimination
regarding homosexual persons.
So, as usual, the press
is painting a false picture by contrasting the "good" Francis and the
"bad" Benedict.
via Catholic register
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