Pope Francis has called for more tolerance of gays in a groundbreaking document released yesterday.
While he made clear that the Catholic Church’s official line on homosexuality had not changed, he said the Church should be more open to gay people and deal with them respectfully.
Quite how his comments will be received by the Catholic community in Tonga is yet to be seen.
Last year Radio New Zealand International reported that Cardinal Mafi had said he would not support the government signing the United Nations’ Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) because he thought it conflicted with the Church’s beliefs on same sex marriage and abortion.
Issues of women clergy and homosexuality have already threatened to split the Anglican Communion and the acceptance of gay clergy caused many Tongans to leave the Methodist Church in New Zealand.
The Pope’s comments came in the newly released Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia (On Love in the Family) his response to a series of highly contentious discussions about the family in the modern world with the Church’s most senior clergy in 2014 and 2015.
According to the BBC, after last year’s synod he severely criticised conservative Church leaders, saying they preferred to stick to the rigid application of doctrine rather than being concerned for the suffering of families.
CNN has reported that the Pope asked priests to be more open to gays and lesbians, divorced Catholics and other people living outside the Church’s guidelines.
As the Church’s first non-European Pope, Francis has brought a fresh perspective to many issues within the Church and called for tolerance and openness to non-traditional ideas that have alarmed the more reactionary members of the Curia, the Church’s ecclesiastical elite.
Born in Argentina, Francis served as a bishop under the fascist dictatorship that murdered thousands of innocent citizens during its reign of terror. According to a report in the New Yorker magazine Francis knew a number of the members of the opposition on a personal level.
Francis was also exposed to the doctrine of Liberation Theology which arose in South America, under the influence of the Jesuits. Liberation Theology developed in response to the fact that many in South America and elsewhere who suffered most at the hands of military dictatorships saw the Church as being silent in the face of oppression.
Francis is clearly a reformer, but he is still the Pope and there is no sign he will abandon the Church’s official position on homosexuality, artificial contraception, divorce, abortion, women priests or married clergy.
What he has done is to use his authority to call on Catholics around the world to take action for the common good on issues such as global warming, which threatens the future of small island nations like Tonga.
According to a report in The Guardian, while he has not abandoned the Church’s central doctrines on sexual and family matters, he has urged “respectful engagement” with gay people.
He has also made it clear that he expects Catholic clergy to use wisdom, compassion and common sense in applying Church doctrine in the light of the reality of people’s lives. He also asks that they reach out to other faiths, atheists and non-believers in the belief that common bonds can be forged among people of good will.
“A pastor cannot feel that it is enough simply to apply moral laws … as if they were stones to throw at people’s lives,” he wrote.
“By thinking that everything is black and white, we sometimes close off the way of grace and growth.”
“I understand those who prefer a more rigorous pastoral care which leaves no room for confusion. But I sincerely believe that Jesus wants a Church attentive to the goodness which the Holy Spirit sows in the midst of human weakness.”
Pope Francis has also shown compassion for divorced Catholics who have remarried, saying they should be made to feel part of the Church.
“It can no longer simply be said that all those living in any ‘irregular situation’ are living in a state of mortal sin,” he wrote.
“There is no stereotype of the ideal family, but rather a challenging mosaic made up of many different realities, with all their joys, hopes and problems.
“Every person, regardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his or her dignity and treated with consideration.”
Conservative reaction
Many Catholic clergy and laypeople from developing nations are far more conservative than their western counterparts and many come from countries where discrimination against women and gays is deeply culturally embedded.
The Pope appears to be aware that not every diocese around the world will be ready to immediately follow his call for more tolerance and has said that priests should be sensitive to local culture, traditions and needs when deciding what to do in particular situations.
Fully digesting and accepting the message of On Love in the Family may be difficult for people who are less accepting of gays or others who live outside mainstream society.
Among them may be Catholics who protested against CEDAW, either by signing the petition or joining the protest marches in Nuku’alofa.
Despite lengthy debate in cabinet and consultations with community groups during the past four years, protestors claimed that signing CEDAW would open the way for same sex marriages and legalise abortion.
Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva said at the time that the kingdom would reserve the right to maintain its own laws on abortion, same sex marriage and the rules regarding the succession to the throne.
Many issues considered
While the media has focussed on Pope Francis’s comments on issues of homosexuality and divorce, On Love in the Family carefully considers a large number of issues.
The document says the Church must take responsibility for many of the challenges facing married couples and says the Church itself has imposed unrealistic expectations and ideals about marriage on couples.
It also says the Church must work hard to reach out to young people who are facing pressure from a materialistic society not to marry or have children.
It also says that the decline in the birth rate and anti-child mentality in many countries is deeply harmful and warns that if the birth rate continues to fall the link between generations may be broken.
The main points
- Pope Francis has called for more tolerance of gays in a groundbreaking document released yesterday.
- While he made clear that the Catholic Church’s official line on homosexuality had not changed, he said the Church should be more open to gay people and deal with them respectfully.
- Quite how his comments will be received by the Catholic community in Tonga is yet to be seen.
- Issues of women clergy and homosexuality have already threatened to split the Anglican Communion and the acceptance of gay clergy caused many Tongans to leave the Methodist Church in New Zealand.
For more information
Amoris Laetitia (On Love in the Family) The Vatican
Catholic Church: Pope Francis urges greater family understanding (BBC)
Pope Francis to dismay reformists with ‘modern families’ document (Guardian)
Pope to Church: Be more accepting of divorced Catholics, gays and lesbians (CNN)
PM seeks people’s opinion on CEDAW, ignores Privy Council warning (Kaniva News)
