When reports spread that Pope Francis had used an offensive anti-gay slur while addressing Italian bishops at a conference last month, many Catholics were both shocked and disconcerted. How could a pope known for his openness and acceptance of LGBTQ people use homophobic slang and warn prelates about admitting gay men into seminaries?
But the question and the apparent inconsistency of Francis’ message reflect the deep contradictions and tensions that underlie the Roman Catholic Church’s and Francis’ relationship to homosexuality.
The Church considers “homosexual tendencies” to be “intrinsically disordered.” When it comes to ordination, Church guidelines state that people with “deep-seated” homosexual tendencies should not become priests.
Yet ordination has also long been a kind of refuge for gay Catholic men, according to researchers and priests, who say at least thousands of clergy are homosexual, although only a few make their sexual orientation public due to the stigma it still carries in the Church.
While in the past all these contradictions were smothered by an aura of taboo, Francis’ recent spontaneous comments have brought them into the open.
“The Pope has lifted the veil,” declared Francesco Lepore, a former Latinist at the Vatican who left the church, came out as gay and became an activist.
The problem is at the root of long-standing prejudices and the sexual abuse crisis that emerged two decades ago. fiery accusations from some bishops and conservative religious media that homosexuality was to blameeven though studies have repeatedly shown that there is no link between being gay and child abuse.
Despite changes in society and Francis’ adoption of a more progressive approach, Church teachings still describe homosexuality as a deviance and have enshrined this view in regulations and restrictions that, according to criticism, perpetuate a widespread homophobic vision and fuel tensions.
“As long as they do not change the law, as long as homosexuality is considered a deviance and an illness, nothing will change under the Saint-Pierre dome,” said Luciano Tirinnanzi, author of a book on LGBTQ people and the Church.
Yet the presence of gay clergy has been a constant throughout history. Saint Peter Damian, an 11th century monk, fought against the “sins of sodomy” in the church. Dante Alighieri punished homosexual clerics by plunging them into hell in his “Divine Comedy,” and there are documented cases dating back to the 16th century of prelates being accused of committing homosexual acts and killed. (Records of priests, and even cardinals and popes, who were immodest with women and even had children are also abundant.)
Scholars and prelates who promote LGBTQ rights have said that for gay Catholic men, becoming a priest has long been seen as a way to neutralize and overcome the stigma once associated with their sexual orientation, and perhaps even remove it by celibacy.
“A large number of young religious people with homosexual tendencies sought the sublimation of celibacy,” said Alberto Melloni, an Italian Church historian.
It is difficult to know exactly how many priests are gay because there are no reliable statistics, but in the United States, gay men probably make up at least 30 to 40 percent of American Catholic clergy. according to dozens of estimates from researchers and gay priests gathered in an investigation conducted in 2019 by the New York Times. Some priests and activists say the figure is closer to 75 percent.
“The Catholic Church could not function without its gay priests,” said Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, a Maryland-based group that supports gay Catholics. “It’s a simple fact.”
But it’s also something that worries many in the Church.
Last month, Francis said there was already too much homosexuality, although he used a pejorative to describe it, according to two bishops who attended the conference and confirmed Italian media reports that sparked an apology from the Vatican. Asked about Francis’ use of a slur, the bishops blamed it on Francis’ relaxed and colorful speaking style.
“When there are official speeches, he studies, but when he speaks unexpectedly, a word that is not quite ideal can also escape him,” said Luigi Mansi, the bishop of the Italian city of Andria. Bishop Francesco Savino, vice president of the Italian bishops’ conference, blamed the situation on the fact that Francis is not a native Italian speaker. “When he speaks, he uses terms that are a mixture of Spanish, Argentinian and Italian,” he said.
Yet despite the surprising use of the slur, this is not the first time Francis has expressed the Church’s opposition to gay men entering the ministry.
While acknowledging that many gay priests are good and holy, Francis has repeatedly expressed concern that gay candidates for the priesthood end up having relationships and living double lives.
During another closed session in 2018, reported by Italian mediahe said men with “deep-seated” homosexual tendencies should not be allowed into seminaries.
Two years earlier, the pope had given the green light to a document on priestly vocations that said exactly the same thing, repeating a 2005 document approved by Benedict XVI.
The clergy interpreted these instructions in different ways. The Church says “homosexual men should not be admitted to orders,” said Piero Delbosco, the bishop of Cuneo, Italy, adding that there could be some leeway in determining whether a candidate could overcome his homosexual tendencies.
Others, like Bishop Mansi, assert that “the Church does not say that homosexuals cannot be ordained.” But, he added, the Church believes ordination should be avoided because it is more difficult for gay men “to observe and live celibate throughout their lives.” Experts and prelates who promote LGBTQ rights categorically deny this claim.
“There are three ways to interpret this,” said the Rev. James Martin, a high profile proponent of making the Church more welcoming to gay Catholics. It’s either no to gay seminarians, no to people who can’t maintain celibacy, or no to anyone for whom it’s the most important thing in their life, he said.
Francis’ message only added to the confusion, some said.
“He needs to clarify his message a little better because it’s confusing,” Mr. DeBernardo said. “That doesn’t help the situation. This problematizes the situation.
Critics say this confusion blurs the line between celibacy and homosexuality, shifting the focus from a legitimate concern about priests who are not chaste to a general stigmatization of all gay clergy. This, they say, can lead some potentially celibate gay men to be barred from ordination, and many others to simply hide their sexuality.
The Italian bishops’ conference has adopted new rules that specifically address the ordination of homosexual priests in Italy, Archbishop Savino said. The rules, which await Vatican approval, are not yet public.
Pope Francis used the insult following a question from an Italian bishop on the issue, the bishops said.
The subject of homosexuality, Archbishop Savino said, is currently “highly debated,” as bishops with a more “pragmatic” and “dynamic” approach would like to update the rules. But progressive pushes within the Church are often met with backlash and prejudice.
Francis must play a delicate balancing act between a message of openness and inclusiveness while recognizing the church’s more conservative sensibilities that remain staunchly anti-gay.
When Francis last year authorized priests to bless same-sex couples, some bishops in conservative corners of the Church have pushed back. To appease them, the Vatican issued a statement saying that “local culture” should be taken into account when applying the declaration, but that this would remain Church policy.
When asked about this topic, some bishops have called homosexuality a “pathological” condition, a “problem” or used phrases like “normal sexuality” to refer to heterosexuality as opposed to homosexuality.
Even Church guidelines that refer to “deep-seated homosexual tendencies” are “offensive,” Mr. Lepore said, because they convey the message that homosexuality can be transitional, cured and overcome.
He added that Francis’ effective messages of openness would inevitably be undermined if Church teachings and much of the clergy continued to view homosexuality as a disorder and not a sexual orientation.
“The difficulties, the divisions that the Church is experiencing,” he declared. “It all comes from there.”
