Activists hope pope’s approval could ease anti-LGBTQ+ bias
Same-sex couples’ blessing sends a message of tolerance
ROME — Pope Francis’ green light for Catholic priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples is in many ways a recognition of what has been happening in some European parishes for years. But his decision to officially spell out his approval could send a message of tolerance to places where gay rights are far more restricted.
From Uganda to the United States, laws that discriminate against LGBTQ+ people or even criminalize homosexuality have increased in recent years, leaving communities feeling under attack. Pastors in some conservative Christian denominations, and the Catholic Church in particular, have sometimes supported such measures as consistent with biblical teaching about homosexuality.
In Zimbabwe, a country with a history of state harassment of LGBTQ+ people and a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, news of Francis’ approval was met with cautious optimism among activists.
But Chesterfield Samba, director of Zimbabwe’s GALZ association, which represents LGBTQ+ people, said same-sex unions would likely remain taboo regardless of the pope’s stance.
“Christians here are of the view that they are devoid of sin and cannot be aligned with LGBTQ+ people,” Mr. Samba told The Associated Press.
By contrast, a Catholic priest in the United States — Alex Santora of Hoboken, N.J. — was elated by the pope’s declaration, hoping it would clear the path for him to bless a same-sex couple who had been part of the parish throughout his 19-year tenure there.
The Vatican says gays should be treated with dignity and respect but that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered.” Pope Francis hasn’t changed that teaching, but he has spent much of his 10-year pontificate offering a more welcoming attitude to LGBTQ+ Catholics.
The Vatican statement Monday marked a new step in Pope Francis’ campaign, explicitly authorizing priests to offer non-sacramental blessings to same-sex couples. The blessings must in no way resemble a wedding, which the church teaches can only happen between a man and woman.
The Rev. Wolfgang Rothe, a German priest who participated in open worship services blessing same-sex couples in May 2021, said Tuesday that the approval essentially validated what he and other priests in Germany have been doing for years. But he suggested it would make life easier for homosexual couples in more conservative societies.
“In my church, such blessings always take place when anyone has the need,” Rev. Rothe said.
But “in many countries around the world there are opposing moves to maintain homophobia in the church,“he added. ”For homosexual couples living there, the document will be a huge relief.”
In Nigeria, authorities arrested dozens of gay people in October in a crackdown that human rights groups said relied on a same-sex prohibition law.
Nigeria is among 30 of Africa’s 54 countries where homosexuality is criminalized. Uganda’s president this year signed into law anti-gay legislation that prescribes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” which is defined as sexual relations involving people infected with HIV, as well as with minors and other vulnerable people.
In the United States, the Human Rights Campaign has identified an “unprecedented and dangerous” spike in discriminatory laws sweeping statehouses this year, with more than 525 antiLGBTQ+ bills introduced.
“Given the homophobic and transphobic climate created by many bishops in the United States, the average same-sex couple likely still won’t feel comfortable presenting themselves to their local bishop or priest to ask for a blessing,” said Jamie Manson, a lesbian and president of Catholics for Choice.
Starting from his famous “Who am I to judge” comment in 2013 about a purportedly gay priest, Pope Francis has evolved his position to increasingly make clear that everyone is a child of God, is loved by God and welcome in the church.
Kimo Jung, of Pittsburgh, a lifelong Catholic, met his future husband 34 years ago when they both attended a New York parish. Mr. Jung, 60, sees the Vatican declaration as monumental for the church, but less so for himself and his husband, whom he married in a civil ceremony in 2016.
“I would certainly ask my friends who are priests to convey such a blessing, but I wouldn’t approach any other church official to demand a rite to be blessed, because I already know God has blessed my relationship.”