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I don't think that it's an exaggeration to say that millions were stunned earlier this week when Pin a new documentary Pope Francis advocated for civil same-gender unions. This is not the same as same-gender marriages blessed by the Roman Catholic church but it is a huge departure from anything expressed before by a a pope. Upholding his previously expressed support for children of God he said “What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that.”
Of course there are conservative Roman Catholics and other conservative Christians who will be stunned by this because it is antithetical to their conviction that homosexuality is a sin which must be condemned rather than condoned. For many within the Catholic church this is a step which they have prayed for and worked toward. And for those of us who are part of denominations which have moved beyond this to the acceptance and support of Christian marriage for LGBTQ2 persons this is encouraging news.
Human rights organizations are grateful for Francis' stand as well. There are still countries where LGBTQ2 rights and protections are virtually non-existent. In a number of African nations neither state nor church supports LGTBTQ2 persons, let alone allowing marriage. In some of these countries there is persecution which is actually supported by right-wing religious groups in the United States. In Russia and Poland there is persecution as well, and Franklin Graham, a supposed Christian leader in the US has expressed his admiration for Vladimir Putin for Russia's harsh laws.
Some critics are dismissing Francis' support as bringing the Catholic church into the 1990's, and to a degree this is true. In 1992 I attended the United Church General Council in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where there was a break-through debate on same-gender unions within our denomination. I was part of the working group which wrestled with what should be presented to the broader court and it was a heartfelt and demanding discussion. We genuinely wanted to discern what was faithful as Christians and reflective of the gospel. This was reflected in the subsequent discussion amongst commissioners or delegates, even though it was emotional.
Even though that was nearly 30 years ago, we can't dismiss what Francis has chosen to support today. There are more than a billion Roman Catholics around the world and we can pray that this is the beginning of a new direction for the denomination.
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