While Pope Francis is certainly a troublemaker, he is also acting as the face of a much-needed change in the Catholic religion. In an interview for America Magazine, Pope Francis proved he is acting as the face of that change regarding homosexuality. Forward-thinking Catholics have been begging for change for years. According to Christian Post, church attendance is at record lows around the world, especially among young people. While not promising any sweeping policy changes, Pope Francis laments the church’s “obsession” with moral teachings about homosexuality.
He says that the church should be more focused on charity and helping those in need.
Francis stated, “The people of God want pastors, not clergy acting like bureaucrats or government officials.” This quote was a follow-up on his statement that he feels that the church should not “interfere” with gay people. “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Francis stated.
As society is becoming more accepting of gay people, the Catholic Church truly is outdated in their stance on the topic. On Oct. 21, New Jersey will be the 14th state in America to issue same-sex marriage licenses.
As students at Fairfield, we are all familiar with Jesuit values and have heard the phrase “cura personalis” more than once. Care of the whole person is what the Jesuits are all about – viewing someone for their entire self, not just one part of who they are.
Therefore, should we be surprised that a Jesuit pope is taking this brave stance on gay rights in the church? No.
“When God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person? We must always consider the person,” said Francis, spoken like a true Jesuit, perfectly exemplifying “cura personalis.”
I live in a small town in New Jersey where people are obsessed with lacrosse and Sperrys, notorious for not being accepting of gay people. When one of my friends from my town came out this year people were supportive and embraced him. Why can this be so widely accepted, but not in the Catholic Church? This is what Pope Francis is trying to get at.
A pope of this stature is what the Catholic Church has been desperately needing. Some argue that the pope is solely making these remarks in order to coax people into staying Catholic, but I believe that the pope is speaking out on this issue because he is a good man who sees the need for Catholics to be less judgmental and more compassionate — like Jesus was.
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