I'm not much of a papist. But I was blown away when I first heard the new pope was a Jesuit, and that he had chosen the name of Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscans, lover of the poor, and patron saint of the environment. Pope Francis's advocacy for the poor and preference for a humble, no-frills lifestyle is already well-known. In the homily during his inaugural Mass, he spoke again of the call to love and serve the poor, address global economic privations, protect creation (aka the environment), and to "not be afraid of tenderness, of goodness." He also addressed non-Catholics, non-Christians, and non-religious people with warmth and respect, believing everyone to be a child of God. (Read the full text of his homily here.)
So, for me, his past strong admonitions against gay marriage and gay adoptions stand out in stark and painful contrast to everything else about him that appears humble, gentle, self-effacing, and welcoming. Likening gay marriage to "a destructive attack on God's plan" and gay adoption to "discrimination" against children is about the harshest sentiment I've seen on this issue among the hierarchy. I realize that high-level Catholic church leaders are not likely to change their tune on sexuality-related issues anytime soon. And of course, greed and world poverty are HUGE problems that demand more immediate attention. But the condemnation -- particularly of gay adoption -- stings. As an adoptee and as a friend to gay parents with adopted children, his stern disapproval feels unloving and un-Christian.
This article in the New York Times, however, paints a different picture. While still archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis actually proposed that the church support civil unions for gay couples, an idea that inflamed a gathering of bishops in 2010 -- who, of course, rejected his proposal. Afterwards, in more public arenas, he staunchly opposed gay marriage, which was eventually legalized in Argentina.
"Faced with the near-certain passage of the gay-marriage bill," says biographer Sergio Rubin, as quoted in the New York Times, "[then] Cardinal Bergoglio offered the civil-union compromise as 'the lesser of two evils.' He wagered on a position of greater dialogue with society."
This suggests that Pope Francis may have more flexibility than either of the previous two popes on these issues. While I'm not really expecting him to make any huge breaks with church tradition, the fact that he is open to measured compromise and "dialogue with society" leaves me feeling more hope about what might be ahead for our scarred and tattered church. If Pope Francis is genuinely humble, the combination of Jesuit discernment and Franciscan compassion could open up new terrain for us.
Click here to read the rest of the NYT article "On Gay Unions, a Pragmatist Before He Was Pope."
