Pastoral charity for gays and lesbians
THE church in Zimbabwe has called on the need to understand that Pope Francis’ recent remarks on the call for “civil union” rights on gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender does not in any way change the churches’ doctrine.
In a new documentary titled Francesco premiered on October 21, 2020 at the Rome Film Festival in Rome, Pope Francis explained that “homosexual people have the right to be in a family.
“They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it. What we need to have is a civil union law — that way they are legally covered”.
After the documentary’s release, questions arose about the quote’s origin, whether the Pope’s words had been manipulated either through video editing or a mistranslation as the interview was in Spanish, if they were new or simply a repetition of what he had said before and whether this statement signified a change in church teaching.
The Vatican immediately responded saying Pope Francis’ comments on “civil union” referred to a position he had taken when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires and had strongly opposed a 2010 law allowing same-sex marriage.
In July 2013 during a Press conference on a flight from Rio to Rome after a reporter alluded to a supposed “gay lobby” at the Vatican, Pope Francis reiterated that “if someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has a good will, then who am I to judge him?”
That reply revealed his personal humility before questions of human sexuality, and suggested an openness to the lives of gay people that runs strongly counter to Catholic history, church teaching, and Vatican policy.
It is an offhand remark that Pope Francis made about gay people, which is still the single most memorable statement of his pontificate.
What makes Pope Francis comments supporting same-sex civil unions today so momentous? First, he is making these remarks as a Pope, not Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Secondly, he is clearly supporting, not simply tolerating, civil unions. Third, he is saying it on camera, not privately.
As he supported civil unions, Pope Francis, like his predecessors, made a distinction between gay people (good) and the way that they express passion and love (not good). His support is an incremental change, at most.
And yet those remarks, because they make his support for gay civil unions common knowledge, may have greater practical import in the long term than his bold statements about climate change, migrants and refugees, or the global economy — at the same time that they put a fresh focus on the tensions in the church’s attitude towards the lives of LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning] people.
On matters of human sexuality, though, it can be argued that Francis’s incrementalism is vexing to the point of being incoherent. Church teaching holds that marriage is between a man and a woman.
What is wrong with same sex marriage? Here are the reasons; it is sex outside what the church regards as a properly constituted marriage, and because, not being ordered toward procreation, it is contrary to the creative wisdom of God.
It is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil.
Sexual orientation is a new concept, one that the Christian tradition hasn’t clearly addressed. Many Christians draw on their faith’s traditions to shape their beliefs, but the concept of sexual orientation is new.
Until recent decades, same-sex behaviour was placed in the same category with gluttony or drunkenness. A closer look at the Sodom and Gomorrah involved an attempted gang rape, not a loving relationship.
It’s commonly assumed that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah out of his wrath against same-sex relations, but the only form of same-sex behaviour described in the story is an attempted gang rape — nothing like a loving, committed relationship.
Gays and Lesbians Association Zimbabwe (GALZ) spokesperson Sylvester Nyamatendedza explains that “civil unions” among lesbians and gays although not given much attention, many people might not easily accept the concept.
“It is perfectly understandable why the Pope took the important step of recognising same-sex civil unions: it is perhaps the last stage in the dismantling of all forms of legal oppression and discrimination against LGBT people and the recognition of their right to full equality.
“GALZ applauds the Pope for making this brave statement which resonates well with the global north.
“But, for those of us in Zimbabwe, same-sex civil unions still attract some public disapproval and constitutional prohibitions, at least at this stage.
He further explains, “We still suffer from basic humiliations such as the criminalisation of sexual acts between men and vitriolic verbal attacks and ridicule from our leaders.
“We also share all the major problems faced by the majority of Zimbabweans when it comes to the curtailment of fundamental rights and freedoms including the right to receive and impart information, the right to work and freedom from fear and poverty”, he said.
This article was reproduced from Radio Maria, a Catholic non-profit radio entity meant for Christian fellowship and is currently operating in 25 African countries