Why Is the Vatican Floundering in Announcing Its Position on Homosexuality?

Pope Francis clarified recent statements he made about homosexuality and sin, saying they were merely a reference to the official Catholic moral teaching that considers any sexual act outside marriage to be a sin.

Francis indicated in a post on January 27 that even intuitive teachings are subject to conditions that may completely eliminate sin.

The Pope first made the remarks in an interview with the Associated Press on January 24, declaring that laws criminalizing homosexuality are “unjust,” saying that “being homosexual isn’t a crime.”

As he often does, Francis then assumed a conversation with someone who raised the question of the official teaching of the Church, which states that homosexual acts are sinful, saying during his said conversation that it is necessary to distinguish first between sin and crime: it is a sin not to be kind to one another, but cannot be considered as a crime.

 

Contradicting the Teaching

Francis acknowledged that some Catholic bishops around the world support laws that criminalize homosexuality or discriminate against the LGBT community, but he approached this issue from the perspective of “sin” and attributed these positions to the bishops’ cultural backgrounds. He called on the bishops in particular to go through a “change process” leading to the recognition of the “dignity of all.”

Pope Francis’s new comments on anti-homosexual laws were the first of their kind for a pope.

It is noteworthy that Pope Francesco had defended—in a documentary about his life broadcast in 2020—the right of gay people to form a family.

In early 2022, he also called on parents of gay children not to condemn their children and to provide them with support, advising parents who see different sexual orientations in their children not to hide behind condemning attitudes towards them, according to Reuters.

He noted that the Church cannot accept same-sex marriage but can support civil union laws that aim to give same-sex couples joint rights in respect of salary, health care, and inheritance issues.

In an interview with Al-Estiklal, Catholic German Sabine said that the word “crime” is not part of the language of the Church. When the Church talks about taboos, it calls it “sin.” There is a sin, a great sin, and a deadly sin.

She added that the grave crime of murder is called the “sin” of murder. Therefore, she thinks that the Pope meant that homosexuality is not a crime (for those outside the Church), but it remains a “sin” for the Church, as was always the case.

Led by the United States, there is global pressure on all leaders to accept pervasive behavior. The Vatican does not escape pressures of all kinds, while the pressures on the Orthodox are less because of Putin’s protection of them. Many believe that the Pope wanted with this statement to ease the pressure without actually giving them what they wanted.

A commenter on the Raialyoum website disclosed: “I am a Christian, and Christianity is against homosexuality. In the Old Testament (Leviticus) and the New Testament in St. Paul’s letter to the Romans and the First Epistle to the Corinthians. Homosexuality is considered a perversion and a sin, and homosexuals should be stoned.”

 

‘Is Not a Crime’!

The Pope’s remarks calling for the decriminalization of homosexuality were lauded by LGBTQ supporters as an important step that would help end harassment and violence against LGBTQ people, but his reference to “sin” raised questions about whether he believed that being gay was Sinful.

American Jesuit priest James Martin, who runs the outreach service for LGBTQ Catholics, asked Pope Francis for clarification, and the Pope’s handwritten response was posted on the service’s website Friday evening.

In his post, Francis reaffirmed that homosexuality “is not a crime” and said he spoke in order to emphasize that criminalization is neither good nor fair.

“When I said it is a sin, I was simply referring to Catholic moral teaching, which says that every sexual act outside of marriage is a sin. Of course, one must also consider the circumstances, which may decrease or eliminate fault,” Pope Francis wrote in Spanish, emphasizing the latter phrase.

The BBC reported that it is no longer a secret that Pope Francis’ “progressive” positions embarrass conservative currents in the Catholic Church. The statement quoted from him about “the right of homosexuals to a family” provoked his opponents.

American Cardinal Raymond Burke, known for his “negative” stances toward Pope Francis, did not hesitate to publicly criticize the pontiff, saying that what he was quoted is causing confusion among Catholics and perplexing them.

In turn, the American Bishop, Thomas Tobin, said that the Pope’s statement contradicts the Church’s teachings about the union of persons of the same sex, and the Church cannot support the acceptance of immoral relationships, as he put it.

 

‘God Does Not Bless Sin’

On March 15, 2021, the Vatican said that the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex marriages because “God does not bless sin.”

In response to a question asked about whether priests could bless same-sex couples, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) issued a decree saying that such blessings cannot be considered lawful.

While the decree stated that the Christian community and its pastors should welcome with respect and sensitivity people of homosexual orientation, their unions cannot be blessed.

The decree went on to say that God does not bless sin and cannot bless it, adding: He blesses the sinful person, so that he realizes that it is part of his plan for love and allows him to change his behavior.

The decree did not make it clear who sent the question to the council, but many bishops and religious scholars, especially in Germany and Austria, have in recent years endorsed the blessing of same-sex union.

Since his election to the Vatican in March 2013, Pope Francis has sought to adopt a more “soft” tone towards LGBT people in his public statements.