Tthe statement of disapproval came directly from the Vatican. Earlier this week, we learned that the Catholic Church would not bless same-sex unions, because God “cannot bless sin.”
The formal response, issued Monday by the Vatican’s Orthodox office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, made the official statement after considering whether or not the Catholic clergy can bless gay unions.
The Vatican’s “negative” response explained that the church would continue to welcome and bless gay Catholics, but could not do the same for same-sex unions because they do not believe they are part of “God’s plan.” The answer was approved by Pope Francis, a surprise to many members of the Catholic Church who had found him more progressive on the issue in previous cases.
“They are children of God and have the right to a family,” Pope Francis said earlier about same-sex civil unions in the 2020 documentary Francesco. “No one should be expelled or made unhappy about it.”
These progressive sentiments are echoed by a majority of Catholics. According to the Pew Research Center, 57% of Catholics strongly favor same-sex marriage. A study published by the Williams Institute in December 2020 estimated that there were 1.3 million LGBTQ Catholics, 24.8% of all LGBTQ religious adults (5.3 million).
“I have seen a large number of LGBTQ people whose faith and religious identity are so strong that they continue to press to accept them, even against huge walls of opposition,” said Francis DeBernardo, executive director of the Ministry of New Ways, on NBC News on the report conclusions on LGBT inclusion in the Roman Catholic Church. “LGBTQ people have many spiritual gifts that can renew religious institutions, if these groups only perform the simple and sacred acts of welcoming and listening.”
“I was angry, frustrated, aggravated, and yet I wasn’t surprised at the inadequacy of conversation points the church has used to belittle LGBTQ existence over the years.”
– Xorje Olivares
But now some LGBTQ Catholics have come into conflict over their place within the church following the Vatican’s discriminatory response and Pope Francis ’“ disappointing ”approval.
“It’s always an absolute disappointment, and this week has been no different,” says Xorje Olivares, a Boston queer and host of the new “Queer I Am Lord” podcast for his digital brand Hey Xorje. He was angry, frustrated, aggravated, and yet surprised by the inadequacy of conversation points the church has used to belittle LGBTQ existence over the years, once again using “sinful” rhetoric. which has been attributed to the countless traumas suffered among queer people simply seeking recognition. “
“It’s a tragedy to alienate Catholics based on this aspect of our being,” says Jobert Abueva, a gay writer based in New Hope, Pennsylvania, who is also a global nonprofit marketer. “We feel frustrated and even abandoned. It is based on anachronistic attitudes and is inconsistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ. “
Abueva, who recently wrote a post on The Philadelphia Inquirer titled “Why I Finally Ended the Catholic Church,” argues that the church’s recent anti-LGBTQ stance has influenced its decision to leave.
“The harsh, if not hostile, message to the LGBTQ community is a hard pill to swallow for gay Catholics in America and around the world who have long had to walk the cold rope of our beliefs against a doctrine that continually turns cold on this an aspect of who we are as holistic beings, ”Abueva wrote in the opinion.
But despite long-standing concerns, LGBTQ Catholics have found that the church’s recent duplication in excluding same-sex unions sends mixed messages, especially from Pope Francis, who has disappointed some of the community.
“I have lost all hope. It is as if his progressive thought had been crushed by more powerful forces with the Church, and since then he had had to withdraw.”
– Jobert Abueva
“I have lost all hope,” says Abueva, of the Pope, who will evolve into same-sex marriage in the future. “It’s as if his progressive thinking has been crushed by more powerful forces with the church and has since had to withdraw.”
“Because Pope Francis’ health is failing and he is under greater control by the Vatican’s conservative forces, I have no hope and no interest,” said Dawn Ennis, a transgender journalist, contributor to The Daily Beast and general editor. from outsports.com. “People who once believed it would bring change need to say goodbye and leave.”
“I believe in him, as a man, as a human being,” says Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig, a black lesbian journalist and owner of MFC3 Media, who still has confidence in the Pope’s ability to become more progressive. part of the papacy leadership “.
Some of these questions come from how the Vatican seems to take a more aggressive stance toward the LGBTQ community, although it does not have as much public condemnation of other controversial issues within the church (such as child sexual abuse). of priests, sexism and racism).
“As someone who grew up in the church, I experienced crises related to people with artificial means of life support, artificial insemination, the sex scandals of priests, and women demanding a more important role in matters. of the church, ”said Ennis, who is no longer a Catholic. “My father told me stories of boys who had been assaulted in their Catholic school, by priests so brazen that they didn’t care that they were witnessed by their victims’ roommates. So I’m someone who expected the church to do the same with the LGBTQ community that has done in any other controversy: ignore it, keep doing what it wants, and move on without apologies or further reflections. Like the boys who were bothered by the priests while my father watched, he knew that the church would not care what we thought and would do what he wanted with holy impunity.
“The church is fixated on this issue more than others, and I can’t understand why,” Olivares says of what he describes as an “underlying problem” of the Vatican’s focus on its LGBTQ members. “There are few attempts to address their patriarchal tendencies, their blatant misogyny, or their repressive history, but for God’s sake, you will definitely hear a bishop or five say some unkind words about queer faithful from time to time.”
“But an underlying problem that continues to happen because of this strange fixation is the combination of unrelated issues by harsh religious people or church critics, that is, when it comes to the abuse or accusation scandal. of pedophilia, ”adds Olivares. “It inadvertently spreads the tropical millennium that queer people, particularly gay men, are predatory individuals, so some of the priesthood have been seen after revelations of abuse. The church’s attempt to control the damage on this front is always at the expense of our community. “
“I will be one of the first to admit that it has been exhausting to keep abreast of the spiritual violence he has had with other LGBTQ people.”
– Xorje Olivares
And while other LGBTQ Catholics have expressed similar concerns, the decision to leave the church is not so black and white.
“I’m a Catholic born and raised and I still attend Mass when I’m home in Arizona,” says Fitzhugh-Craig. “After going to parish schools for 12 years, I still love some traditions and observations. However, in recent years, the church as a whole has not aligned itself with my personal beliefs. ”
“Over the years, I have come to understand that the capital-C church is not the institution, but its congregants,” says Olivares. “Besides, it’s incredibly difficult to move away from Catholicism considering how much is rooted in my Mexican-American culture to the point that they are almost synonymous. But I will be one of the first to admit that it has been stagnant, knowing what spiritual violence it has been for other LGBTQ people with no signs of improvement. “