Under Pope Leo
The church has no intention of changing its teachings on marriage, such as recognizing only unions between a man and a woman, but the Vatican has indicated it intends to continue Francis’ support for gay and lesbian Catholics rather than adopt a more condemnatory tone.
Catholic LGBTQ advocates were overjoyed last week after a Vatican working group of theologians, bishops, priests, sisters, and laity released a report featuring testimony from two gay married Catholics who spoke about their sexuality, their faith, and the harm caused by the Church’s negative teachings on homosexuality.
The non-binding report summarizes the work of experts studying the “controversial” issue and later name changed “emerging issues” including homosexuality and the practice of active nonviolence; Agenda raised at the Synod on Synodality, a multi-year global process of listening and dialogue within the Catholic Church launched by Pope Francis.
As expected, the report did not announce major changes to church doctrine, but suggested that the church address the impasse between “doctrinal solidity” and “pastoral welcome” by incorporating psychological insights in addition to the Bible and church doctrine.
More specifically, the report acknowledges the Catholic Church’s role in “the isolation, anguish, and stigma associated with homosexually attracted people and their families,” and reflects the negative effects of so-called “reparative therapy” (another term for conversion therapy).
One of the gay men whose testimony was featured in the report, a Portuguese Catholic, spoke of accepting his homosexuality and marrying his husband in a civil ceremony. He also spoke about his struggles with his faith due to insensitive comments from Catholic spiritual leaders and his negative experiences with forced conversion therapy. The second American man criticized the therapy and counseling he received from Courage, a Catholic pastoral organization that encourages chaste living for people with same-sex attraction.
In a statement to Associated PressCourage condemned the work’s negative portrayal and denied ever engaging in conversion therapy.
“Courage has been subject to defamation and slander before, but usually through secular means,” the group said in a statement. “This false and unjust portrayal in Vatican documents is a great sadness and further injury to our members.”
The Rev. James Martin, an American Jesuit priest and founder of LGBTQ Catholic Church Outreach, told The Associated Press that the report’s inclusion of LGBTQ testimonies marks an important development and signals an intent to continue the outreach work begun under Pope Francis.
“This is a big deal because they included the testimonies of two LGBTQ people, both of whom are married, and published their testimonies. This is unusual even for the Vatican,” Martin said. national catholic reporter. “To my knowledge, this is the first time that the witnesses, testimonies and stories of LGBTQ Catholics have been published in detail in an official Vatican publication.”
He also said the report was the first time he could remember seeing conversion therapy “so strongly criticized” in an official Vatican document.
Even though Leo has already shown a friendlier and more conciliatory approach towards the LGBTQ community. comment More than a decade ago, he criticized the role of mass media in promoting the “gay lifestyle” and the acceptance of homosexuality, which goes against church doctrine. At a press conference on a plane returning to Rome from Equatorial Guinea last month, Leo said: said He will emphasize the church’s teachings on “issues of justice, equality and freedom” rather than “sexual issues.”
At the same time, Leo set limits on the church’s friendly stance toward LGBTQ people, saying he does not support formal liturgical blessings, such as those given during Mass or as part of certain ceremonies, for same-sex couples. Francis supported allowing priests to give informal, voluntary blessings to same-sex couples, as long as the blessings did not equate same-sex unions with marriage.
But Leo’s friendly, non-dogmatic approach has angered conservatives within the Catholic community, who point out that the church’s official doctrine describes homosexual behavior as “intrinsically disordered” — even though the church has historically acknowledged that people can have same-sex attractions as long as they remain celibate.
Bishop Joseph Strickland, whose bishop in Tyler, Texas, was removed by Pope Francis, slammed the Vatican working group’s report as “extremely alarming” and contrary to the church’s teachings on sex, sin, marriage and morality. “Suggesting that sin is not included in same-sex relationships per se is not just confusing language; it is a direct attack on Catholic moral doctrine and the very words of the Bible,” Strickland said on his website.
Still, other LGBTQ Catholic advocates saw the report as a step toward greater inclusion.
“This is a truly amazing, even historic document,” said Yunuen Trujillo, a lesbian lay minister from Los Angeles. national catholic reporter. “We still call on all Catholics to participate in a process of discernment that respects people’s lived experiences.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
