Throwback Thursday: Pope Francis and Sort Of Queer Acceptance

Pope Francis died this past Monday, April 21st, and he leaves behind a long and confusing history of public statements, praise and condemnation when it comes to matters important to the queer community. Say what you will about Catholicism, and religion in general, you can't deny that in this pope, acceptance of some elements of our existence by the Catholic church at times seemed plausible, and on some occasions, was even called for by Francis. But it always came with a bit of back-peddling, of qualifiers, of just almost but not quite actual full acceptance. He was a pope who, over the years, certainly grew, modified, and softened his earlier stances. Until he didn't.

If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?

With those words spoken only four months or so into his papacy, to a group of reporters on the Vatican plane when addressing the question of gay priests, he broke open a tidal wave of new and liberal thought. Or so many people dreamed. He would absolutely go on to judge, nitpicking certain aspects of our lives. We could be gay, but not in a marriage. Parents should love their queer children and it's a sin to throw them out, but children should be raised by a man and a woman to be fully healthy. He supported, over time, civil unions of gay couples, but not marriage, and not blessed by priests. Then they could be blessed, but as long as it didn't represent anything akin to a wedding.

Yes, this is how leadership, how people grow and stretch their thoughts and learn. And Francis certainly did stretch his mind and gain knowledge and acceptance of the queer community. But as Frank Bruni stated when writing his opinion piece for the New York Times  regarding the "muddle" of Francis:

'Gay' wasn’t a vernacular that popes before him had publicly used. The 'good will' part, the 'judge' bit — they suggested such tenderness, such decency. He was indeed a tender, decent man.

But he was a man of his church and of his generation, steeped in the bigotries of both. He gave me and many other gay people hope. Then he reminded us of why we never look to his church for our dignity.

 

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Oh yeah, and then there was his use of an Italian gay slur last May when asked in a closed meeting about allowing gay men to enter the seminary. His response was that there were already "too many frociaggine" in seminaries. This shocked many gay Catholics, as he'd already created an openness and dialogue that were breaking down barriers:

In January of 2023, he stated that “Homosexuality is not a crime,” and that law criminalizing same-sex relationships and behaviors were "unjust". "It’s also a sin to lack charity with one another.";

In November of 2019, he compared homophobic politicians and laws to Hitler: "That is what was done in those days and today it is happening again."

In May of 2022, he appointed a pro-LGBTQ+ cardinal as head of the Italian Bishops’ Conference.

In November of 2023, he removed virulently anti-gay church leaders, including Bishop Joseph Strickland of Texas and Cardinal Raymond Burke, stripping them of their titles.

Yet for all of that and, admittedly, so much more that was groundbreaking and positive, he also denigrated the "gender idiology" he saw within the trans community, denounced gender-affirming surgery, and denounced surrogacy, a system through which many LGBTQ+ couples create families. Oh, and while he apologized for using that gay slur, he did it again just a couple of weeks later.

It seemed that when it came to Francis, for every give, there was a take. For every "Criminalizing people with homosexual tendencies is an injustice," there was a "In consecrated life and priestly life, there is no place for this kind of affection" when it comes to gay priests, deeming homosexuality "fashionable."

I think your final take on Francis depends on your take on religion as a whole. If it's something you need for your life, you're more inclined to look for the positive, and let him lean into that, his growth, his changes of heart over time. And that's great for you. And if you're like me, you see between the lines and think, "Great, he thinks I'm a sinner who shouldn't act on my perceived sin. So I reject the idea of sin. Period. Full Stop." Because Francis believed that being gay wasn't a sin, but that acting on those feelings was "intrinsically disordered." (Bruni.)

I will give him credit for saying that sexual pleasure "is a gift from God." But then, of course, he had to go and denounce pornography. ARGH!

I'll leave you with his words, and you can decide for yourself.

There is room for everyone in the church, and, whenever there is not, then, please, we must make room, including for those who make mistakes, who fall, or struggle. The Lord does not point a finger, but opens wide his arms: Jesus showed us this on the cross. He does not close the door, but invites us to enter; he does not keep us at a distance, but welcomes us.

Let these be days when we fully realize in our hearts that we are loved just as we are.

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