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| Church of St Francis, Assisi, Italy |
Yeah, Jorge has a history. And, based on that history, he is not likely to become a friend to the LGBT communities of the US or Argentina or Europe or anywhere else, anytime soon.
But he also has a history of service to the poorest of the poor and a prayerful humility that is fertile ground for seeds of change. Perhaps those seeds will sprout and grow this time around.
While I question Pope Francis' sexual and theological orthodoxy, I recognize that Jorge Mario Bergoglio is a very different sort of man than was Joseph Ratzinger. And that Pope Francisco will be a very different Pope than Benedict.
Today, a little over a day since this Pope was elected, I think it is premature to assume that the man in the white cassock is going to act exactly like the man who wore the red one on Tuesday.
While I am not optimistic about any forward movement of the Catholic Church in its stance toward gay, Lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, neither am I entirely pessimistic about the new Pope.
My gut feeling says, wait.
Well it's not like we were ever going to get a gay loving liberal as Pope is it?! So I agree, lets see how he settles in. He seems like a good choice to me... Benedict never seemed to fit the role in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate hearing your point of view, Frank. I've refrained from blogging anything at all about Francis because I don't want to prejudge him. Though it's hard to imagine anyone elected by a curia packed with Justice Scalia types will make revolutionary changes in doctrine or practice.
ReplyDeleteYet my first impression when he stepped out on the balcony was that he had a kind, honest face. I could be wrong, of course - but wait and see is a good attitude before drawing any conclusions.
Benedict should never have been pope, in my view.