Earlier this month Pope Francis indicated the church may be open to welcoming gay marriages. The decision was given in response to criticism from five conservative cardinals who wrote to the Bishop of Rome, asking him to reaffirm the church’s teachings on homosexuality as a sin. This suggestion from Francis could pave a way for blessings on same-sex unions in the church’s future.
The Vatican has upheld the practice and belief that marriage is exclusively between man and woman since its conception. As a result, gay marriage has been cast as sexual deviancy and rejected as an unacceptable lifestyle choice in the eyes of the church. However, in recent years, under more progressive leadership, the church has shifted its views.
Under the influence of his Holiness Pope John Paul II, one of the three longest serving popes, the Vatican underwent a number of changes in its policies, including abortion, artificial contraception and the ordination of women. Despite this turn toward progressive ideology, John Paul II was widely considered a conservative pope.
He frequently visited with conservative 80s public figures like US President Ronald Reagan as well as UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. It wasn’t until Francis’ ascension to the papacy in 2013 that the church began to reverse its stance on gay marriage.
As the first pope from the Americas, Francis’ pontificate as the head of the Roman Catholic Church has centered around outreach to groups and areas which had previously been underserved. The Vatican’s news outlet has reported the Holy Father has visited more than 60 countries since his papal conclave.
In early 2023, Francis visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as South Sudan amid strife in the region. His visit marked the 4th trip to Africa for him, but only the 20th papal visit to the continent in the church’s history. It additionally marks a commitment which the pope has alluded to in many of his recent addresses.
Pope Francis’ response letter, which was published by NPR, is a reversal of the church’s 2021 stance delivered by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The official notation specifically outlined that the church could not condone a gay marriage because “God cannot bless sin.”
Though Francis’ recent letter reiterates marriage as a monogamous heterosexual relationship, it includes an explanation of what he has called “pastoral charity.” He further elaborates on this idea, which he describes as an understanding that priests cannot be judges. This implies the church intends to step back from some of its harsher stances. He goes so far as to allow a number of benedictions, though they would be different from those bestowed on “regular” marriages.
For ten years, Francis has fought to balance his reforms between the liberal and conservative church members, as well as members of the College of Cardinals. While many members of Catholic Church leadership have been involved with a same-sex wedding, they have yet to be censured for their actions.
Columbus Bishop Earl Kenneth Fernandes was appointed by the Holy Father on April 2, 2022. Fernandes is the first Indian American bishop to serve the Catholic Church in the United States. However, the young bishop has faced a number of controversies including closing several parishes in order to consolidate the church’s influence in the area.
Many parishioners and non-parishoners alike have noticed the Bishop has targeted those with whom he does not ideologically agree with. The Columbus Dispatch previously noted this issue when Fernandes was accused of forcing out paulists, a more non-traditional and progressive denomination.
Fernandes and church leaders like himself pose a contradiction to the pope’s word, which itself has not been concrete or particularly resolute. While Francis’ words are a sign that some very significant change could soon be coming to the Catholic Church, it won’t be an easy road to get there.
