Pope Leo XIV affirmed a core teaching of the Catholic church Friday: that family is founded on the “stable union between a man and a woman.”
But some Chicago Catholics still hope Leo will continue outreach to the LGBTQ+ community that was a hallmark of Pope Francis’ papacy.
Katherine Abel, co-founder of Affirmed, a ministry based at St. Clement’s parish in Lincoln Park that welcomes LGBTQ+ Catholics, said she felt “a little bit of [my] heart sinking because it is something you don’t want to hear.”
She still hopes the pope will signal greater acceptance of the gay community — with time.
She noted that Francis took months until he famously said “Who am I to judge them?” when asked about gay priests in 2013. It took another decade before Francis allowed priests to bless gay couples.
Leo “hasn’t addressed the subject head on yet,” Abel said. “It’s something he won’t change on a whim. … There is still room and I’m just kind of waiting on bated breath.”
But it’s important to note that Francis did not change the church’s stance on gay marriage, says Rick Garcia, who directed Catholic Advocates for Lesbian and Gay Rights in the 1980s and ’90s, and also co-founded Equality Illinois, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group.
“Francis did not change the teaching of the church. He just changed the way we look at people and the way we treat them with dignity,” Garcia said.
The question, Garcia said, is “will he be like Francis and talk about the inherent dignity of people who are gay, lesbian and trans? Or will he be focused on gay people’s genitals and what they do with them?”
As the then-head of the Augustinian order, the Rev. Robert Prevost in 2012 criticized the “homosexual lifestyle” and the role of mass media in promoting acceptance of same-sex relationships that conflicted with Catholic doctrine.
A decade later, during Francis’ pontificate, he acknowledged Francis’ call for a more inclusive church, and said he didn’t want people excluded just on the basis of their lifestyle.
Leo published his comments Friday after holding a private meeting with the Vatican diplomatic corps before his installation as the first U.S.-born pope on Sunday. In his remarks, Leo affirmed much of the Catholic teachings, including its opposition to abortion and euthanasia.
Leo said it was up to governments to build peaceful societies “above all by investing in the family, founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman.“
“In addition, no one is exempted from striving to ensure respect for the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly, from the sick to the unemployed, citizens and immigrants alike,” he said.
The Rev. Michael Pfleger, longtime pastor of Saint Sabina Church in Auburn Gresham, said he expects Leo to continue Francis’ outreach to the gay community. Though, he said, the church’s opposition to gay marriage will likely continue.
“In doctrinal issues [like gay marriage], I don’t see the present pope being much different,” Pfleger told the Sun-Times. “In terms of inclusion and reaching out, I think, yes, that he will do that and continue to open his arms to folks who come into the church.”
Progressives should not hold their breath for the pope to bend left on other issues, Pfleger said.
Of the church’s opposition to abortion, Pfleger said, “I don’t see that changing.”
Contributing: AP