There are two distinct phases of my life that I believe have shaped my world view entirely. The first was my final two years of high school, where instead of doing classic teenager things like smoking blunts behind the cafeteria or trying desperately to get laid, I was heavily involved with my church, leading retreats, organizing youth group meetings, and serving as an altar boy right as the priest sexual abuse scandal was coming to light (to answer your question, no). The second phase began immediately after the first, as I decided on Ithaca, NY as the location for my undergraduate education, a place sometimes referred to as “the most liberal city in America” and also once dubbed “The City of Evil” by an unabashedly conservative group called Behind Liberal Lines. These atmospheres may seem in direct contradiction to one another – and they were – but these six consecutive formative years had the effect of balancing out my attitudes towards religion and politics, as well as dropping me comfortably in the center of the everlasting struggle between traditions and contemporary realities. I’m a socially liberal Catholic. It works.
To be honest, I think this – voting on behalf of the poor and disenfranchised, supporting legislation for equal rights – is probably more in line with what Jesus was getting at a couple of millennia ago, a sentiment I’ve been happy to see being echoed on more than one occasion this week by Reza Aslan in his increased exposure since his Fox News “interview” (see Ted McLoof’s piece for more insight on that debacle). A little less Bible-thumping and dogma, a little more, you know, being good to one another. The Golden Rule and all. And that is why I found it, frankly, wonderful to hear Pope Francis’s response to a reporter’s question regarding gay clergymen.
“If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”
Let me be very clear – this is not a resolution of intolerance by any means, nor a surefire end to the perplexing closed-mindedness of much of the religious right. But at the same time, it is impossible to overstate the significance of the Pope, the man charged with being the voice of God on Earth for 1.2 billion people worldwide, public and definitively declaring an acceptance for both gay members and leaders within the church. Saying he has no business judging the sexual orientation of people of faith is a remarkable divergence in philosophy from an institution (the Vatican) that tends to be a tad bit judge-y. Could this be the beginnings of a sea change? Or just a blip on the radar? I really have no idea. But it is something. When we form our opinions on certain groups based on the comments of a few prominent figures within that group, it’s easy to fall into generalizations as a means of categorizing the institution as a whole. That being said, I do believe that there are far more Catholics on the progressive side of the coin than society realizes, and while they are still likely in the minority, the recent comments of the Pope can only serve as a breath of fresh air and an affirmation on their behalf. I can remember my dad – who, as I’ve touched on briefly before, is great at doling out important life lessons to his children and then forgetting they happened – coming home from Mass after a particularly anti-homosexual homily and remarking, “I’m pretty sure Jesus didn’t say ‘Love everyone, except for gay people’.” The point being there are many people out there like this, not to mention a completely different contingent – those who will do pretty much anything their priest tells them to – on whom the Pope’s words could have a very positive impact in terms of perception of equality.
It’s currently unclear if this comment will truly contain any weight or have any lasting effect on the attitudes on inclusiveness of the Roman Catholic Church. Perhaps we need the coming weeks or months or even years to see it truly flesh out. But every Pope has his legacy. In my lifetime, John Paul II was focused on empowering and involving the youth. Benedict XVI had an affinity for dogma and red leather shoes. Francis became the first Pope from the Americas, adopted the name of a saint who championed the poor and the environment, and now seems adamant to clean up the widespread corruption that plagues the Vatican. Will he also be remembered for being the most forward-thinking contemporary Pope, one who led the church and its followers into a progressive new era? For now, at least there’s hope.
It’s not a fix, but it’s a step in the right direction.
About Andrew Rose
Andrew Rose is a writer and editor for Rookerville. He also manages a travel blog for his friends and family. His book, “Seizure Salad”, is a work of fiction - not in that it is a tale of fantasy, but in that it does not actually exist.