“If someone is gay and searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” These words spoken two years ago by Pope Francis set off a firestorm in the Catholic community. While many conservative Catholics were appalled, LGBTQIA Catholics and their allies in the community were hopeful. Could this new Pope potentially change the church’s stance on the acceptance of members of the LGBTQIA community?
After the Vatican’s Wednesday confirmation of a secret meeting with infamous Rowan County, Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis, the answer to that question appears to be no. Kim Davis’ lawyer told reporters that Davis and her husband were smuggled into the Vatican Embassy where they met with and spoke to Pope Francis. Davis alleges that the Pope hugged her while he thanked her for her courage, then gave both she and her husband each a rosary and told her to “stay strong.” Vatican officials claim the meeting was kept secret to ensure that the focus of the Pope’s visit was not solely on Kim Davis, though Pope Francis himself has yet to comment on the meeting as of Thursday night.
Confirmation of the meeting appears to lend solid, verifiable support to what had previously only been thought to be tacit agreement with the actions of the Rowan County Clerk. Shortly before his departure from the United States, Pope Francis was asked if he supported those who would claim that their religion prevented them from upholding certain laws. He replied that “conscientious objection” to abiding by certain laws must have a place even in the judicial sector. He further elaborated that “It is a human right and if a government official is a human person, he has that right. It is a human right.” The Pope took great pains to qualify his statement, adding “I can’t have in mind all the cases that can exist about conscientious objection” to his reply. In light of his confirmed secret meeting with Kim Davis, it would seem that her case was one he had in mind.
Pope Francis apparently took pains to avoid discussing LGBTQIA issues in his address to Congress. When addressing marriage and the family, the Pope’s only comment was “Fundamental relationships are being called into question, as is the very basis of marriage and the family. I can only reiterate the importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life.” While he expressed many left-leaning ideas regarding climate change, poverty, and the death penalty, it appears that the tolerance conveyed by his “Who am I to judge?” statement does not extend all the way to acceptance of marriage equality.
It seems that perhaps Pope Francis is not the agent of change for which many LGBTQIA Catholics were hoping. The Pope seems to be moving away from discussing issues of dogma to discussing issues of ministry to people as evidenced by his actions in Cuba and the U.S. meeting and serving the poor and homeless. While this may indicate a slight loosening of restrictive dogma, this loosening is not an open-armed welcome to the LGBTQIA community from the church. Choosing to meet with Kim Davis and apparently supporting her discriminatory actions was the exact opposite of the support for the community that many were hoping the Pope would express. His words and actions still reflected condemnation for LGBTQIA individuals. That he only referenced the ruling indirectly may indicate that the winds of change are beginning to blow in the church, but his meeting with and support of Kim Davis show that Pope Francis will not be changing Catholic dogma any time soon.
