|
|
As The Daily Record UK reported on May 18, ahead of Pope Leo XIV's official installation he addressed the Vatican diplomatic press corps and affirmed "the Church's ideals of family being rooted in a 'stable union between a man and a woman,'" and while embracing LGBTQ+ Catholics he "reinforced that homosexual acts are considered 'intrinsically disordered' within church teachings, upholding the traditional belief that marriage is solely the union between a man and a woman."
While public statements such as this one do not accurately foretell what, if any, doctrinal changes might occur under his papacy, they do set the tone with the new Pope establishing a doctrinal bar in addition to all of his statements about the Church's ministry of compassion and justice.
So, what does that mean in practical terms for the world's LGBTQ+ community. This type of statement at the outset of this papacy definitely means we need to know what's what and not kid ourselves. Why? Because already the arch-conservative cardinals like Raymond Burke are saying that the church is in danger of losing its soul because of implied threats to conservative doctrine and tradition.
Those that are not Catholic, and even those who aren't Christians of any stripe should pay attention as well, because the reality is that so-called liberalizing trend among Christian churches as regards LGBTQ+ people has not got advanced very far, and the current cultural conservative movement wants to rescind those advances.
Sure, some churches (but very few) allow ordination of LGB clergy, but the majority still believe homosexuality is a sin and homosexual relations are not accepted. Don't be misled by all the chatter about allowing weddings or blessing partnerships. What matters, as we've detailed in an article in the LGBTQ and Faith section (https://iomfats.org/spirit/religion-and-homosexuality.html) is the religious doctrine because everything else rests on that.
There's actually a rather short list of terms that sum up the doctrine, and it's important to understand that they're not just describing behavior.
These terms describe the person. They say you, if you're LGB, are depraved, disordered, degenerate, etc. etc. The doctrine explicitly expresses the understanding of your nature. This isn't about personal choices like preferring coffee over tea! It's an assessment of human nature. Rotten to the core! Bad to the bone!
Pope Francis was a warm, charming and compassionate person. But the doctrine of the Catholic Church didn't change at all during his papacy. Pope Leo is a warm, empathetic and caring person with a focus on peace and justice. The question will be if any of the church doctrine changes.
Meanwhile the conservative protestants and catholics in the USA are working hard to roll back LGBTQ rights, because they all believe that the words above to be true.
Let's not let the underlying reality be clouded by the pomp and ceremony, nor by the sweet sounding words.
Bensiamin
|
] 
A Place of Safety
Search
Help
Register
Login
Home
