All together now: Is the pope Catholic?

Actually, in this age of conspiracy theories — on right and left — the question of the day appears to be: Is THIS pope Catholic? I am referring, of course, to the Vatican’s decision to affirm centuries of Christian doctrine stating that sex outside of marriage is (trigger warning) “sin” and that the sacrament of marriage is limited to the union of a man and a woman.

But, but, but, clearly Pope Francis must be playing some kind of three-dimensional chess with this action, moving the doctrinal pieces in some subtle way that will become clear in “reforms” at a later date? This was a case in which one could catch whiffs of disappointment and even conspiracy thinking on both the Catholic left and right (and in the press).

To see this in print, check out the overture in this Washington Post report: “Pope Francis says priests cannot bless same-sex unions, dashing hopes of gay Catholics.” The headline assumes, of course, that all gay Catholics oppose the church’s teachings on this matter but, well, nevermind.

ROME — Pope Francis has invited LGBT advocates to the Vatican. He has spoken warmly about the place of gay people in the church. He has called for national laws for same-sex civil unions.

But Monday, Francis definitively signaled the limits to his reformist intentions, signing off on a Vatican decree that reaffirms old church teaching and bars priests from blessing same-sex unions.

The pronouncement, issued at a time when some clerics were interested in performing such blessings, leans on the kind of language that LGBT Catholics have long found alienating — and that they had hoped Francis might change. It says that same-sex unions are “not ordered to the Creator’s plan.” It says acknowledging those unions is “illicit.” It says that God “cannot bless sin.”

The decree shows how Francis, rather than revolutionizing the church’s stance toward gays, has taken a far more complicated approach, speaking in welcoming terms while maintaining the official teaching. That leaves gay Catholics wondering about their place within the faith, when the catechism calls homosexual acts “disordered” but the pontiff says, “Who am I to judge?”

Let’s see. We have the standard use of the word “reform” to prejudge this matter. We have a sense of yearning that Pope Francis is taking a “more complicated approach” to this doctrinal issue. Finally, of course there is a simplistic reference to this pope’s “Who am I to judge?” soundbite (click here for more context on that).

Then again, a few lines later this news feature — this piece is not labeled “analysis” — adds this summary that leans the other way:

Few who have carefully followed Francis’s words expected him to dramatically alter the church’s stance on LGBT matters. Many times, he has stated his opposition to same-sex marriage. Officially, the church says that sex should be between a man and a woman, for the purpose of procreation. Changing any part of that would also prompt a reconsideration of other church positions, whether on gender or contraception.

This is accurate. After all, the man who would become Pope Francis — Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, — had this to say about efforts to approve same-sex marriage in Argentina: "Let us not be naive: it is not a simple political struggle; it is an intention (which is) destructive of the plan of God. It is not a mere legislative project … but rather a 'move' of the father of lies who wishes to confuse and deceive the children of God." That "father of lies" reference uses biblical language to describe Satan.

The crucial question remaining, after this Vatican statement, is how bishops and priests will handle clergy and laypeople who openly oppose — through word and deed — the Catholic Catechism and church doctrines on this matter. The Post report also noted:

The church said Monday that its determination was not intended to be “a form of unjust discrimination” and called on priests to welcome those with “homosexual inclinations” with respect and sensitivity. The decree said individual gay people could continue to be blessed by the church, provided they show “the will to live in fidelity to the revealed plans of God as proposed by Church teaching.”

The Associated Press report — the story most American news consumers will see — turned to some logical voices on the Catholic left for background on this new statement.

As GetReligionista Clemente Lisi noted in a recent post (“Attention news editors: Are German Catholic bishops poised to become liberal Luthers?“), all roads toward “reform” seem to pass through Germany, these days.

Thus, AP noted, in this lengthy passage in the body of its report:

In the new document and an accompanying unsigned article, the Vatican said questions had been raised about whether the church should bless same-sex unions in a sacramental way in recent years, and after Francis had insisted on the need to better welcome and accompany gays in the church.

The Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit and advocate for building bridges with the LGBT community, said the Vatican note appeared to be a response to pressures within the German church before a consultative assembly to consider bestowing church blessings on same-sex couples. The German church has been at the forefront of pushing the debate on celibacy, contraception and the church’s outreach to gay Catholics, pressured by a powerful lay Catholic group demanding change.

“It seems to be the Vatican’s response to some German bishops who had mentioned this possibility, in the run up to their country’s synod, as a way of reaching out to LGBTQ people,” Martin said in an email.

In a statement, the head of the German bishops’ conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing, said the new document would be incorporated into the German discussion, but he suggested that the case was by no means closed. 

“There are no easy answers to questions like these,” he said, adding that the German church wasn’t only looking at the church’s current moral teaching, but the development of doctrine and the actual reality of Catholics today.

Another popular voice on the Catholic left went so far as to suggest a potential liturgical route around this new Vatican document. This is from the same AP story:

Other commentators noted that Catholic Book of Blessings contains rites of blessings that can be bestowed on everything from new homes and factories to animals, sporting events, seeds before planting and farm tools. …

Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of the U.S.-based NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice and an advocate for greater LGBTQ inclusion in the church, said she was relived the Vatican statement wasn’t worse. She said she interpreted the statement as saying, “You can bless the individuals (in a same-sex union), you just can’t bless the contract.”

“So it’s possible you could have a ritual where the individuals get blessed to be their committed selves.”

Here’s a final note on the Associated Press coverage of this Vatican document.

Just this morning, I opened the usual email containing links to AP’s major news stories for the day. I was stunned when I read this headline: “Divided reactions in US as pope backs same-sex civil unions.”

Say what? Had Pope Francis made ANOTHER decision on questions linked to LGBTQ civil rights, as opposed to doctrinal and liturgical matters in the church?

Then I noted the date on this story: October 21, 2020.

Why would the AP put this earlier story in an online summary of the major news stories for today? Is this kind of background material common? Maybe I have missed earlier time-machine flashbacks of this kind.

Meanwhile, may I make a suggestion to reporters and editors seeking a valid follow-up story linked to the new Vatican statement.

We can expect to see reports on anonymous priests and LGBTQ activists who intend to fight this decision, perhaps through alternative rites that test courage of local bishops.

However, this document also contains statements that are highly relevant in discussions of another hot-button issue that affects priests and laypeople in parishes from coast to coast. I am referring to questions raised about how to handle church weddings for Catholic couples who have been cohabitating for weeks, months or years before finally making it to the altar.

Trust me: Contact local priests and you will discover all kinds of conflicts and tensions on this topic.

Remember: This doctrinal statement was about sex outside of marriage. Period.

FIRST PHOTO: From the archived Twitter account of Vice President Joe Biden.