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Pope Francis made his remarks at a Mass in Manila's cathedral and then at a meeting with

families in the city's Mall of Asia Arena.


At the latter event, the pope called on his listeners to resist "ideological colonization that
threatens the family." The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, said later
that the pope was referring to same-sex marriage, among other practices.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila, who was present at the reporters' briefing, cited
claims by African bishops that foreign aid to their countries is sometimes offered on the
condition that they accept "alien" views of sexuality and marriage.
Civil law in the Philippines does not recognize marriages or unions between people of the
same sex.
The pope's comments came less than a week after a speech to Vatican diplomats in which
he criticized "legislation which benefits various forms of cohabitation rather than
adequately supporting the family for the welfare of society as a whole," saying that such
legislation had contributed to a widespread sense of the family as "disposable."
In November, Pope Francis told an interreligious conference on traditional marriage that
preserving the family as an institution based on marriage between a man and a woman is
not a political cause but a matter of "human ecology," since "children have the right to grow
up in a family with a father and mother capable of creating a suitable environment for the
child's development and emotional maturity."
As archbishop of Buenos Aires, then-Cardinal Jose Maria Bergoglio opposed same-sex
marriage in Argentina, calling it an "anti-value and an anthropological regression" and
"destructive of the plan of God," and writing that it expressed the "envy of the devil." But he
did not repeat such statements following his election as pope.
When asked why he had not spoken about Brazil's legalization of abortion and same-sex
marriage during his July 2013 trip to the country, the pope said the "church has already
spoken quite clearly on this. It was unnecessary to return to it."
In an interview published in September 2013, Pope Francis told Jesuit Father Antonio
Spadaro: "We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of
contraceptive methods. This is not possible. I have not spoken much about these things, and
I was reprimanded for that. But when we speak about these issues, we have to talk about
them in a context. The teaching of the church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the
church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time."
The pope's latest statements come during a year of preparation for the October 2015 world
Synod of Bishops on the family, following an October 2014 extraordinary synod on the same
topic.

At the earlier gathering, a midterm report stirred controversy with remarkably conciliatory
language toward people with ways of life contrary to Catholic teaching, including those in
same-sex unions. While such unions present unspecified "moral problems," the document
stated, they can exemplify "mutual aid to the point of sacrifice (that) constitutes a precious
support in the life of the partners."
That language was absent from the final report, which quoted a 2003 document from the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: "There are absolutely no grounds for considering
homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God's plan for
marriage and family."
In a December interview with Argentine journalist Elisabetta Pique, Pope Francis
described the midterm report as "merely a first draft," and said it had mentioned "positive
factors" of same-sex unions in an effort to help families support their gay members.
"Nobody mentioned homosexual marriage at the synod; it did not cross our minds," the pope
said.
Pope Francis made some impromptu remarks for reporters while returning from World
Youth Day, and now headlines across the mainstream media blare that he made some kind
of stunning reversal of Catholic teaching. Earlier in the same interview, he half-jokingly
said, I think like a Jesuit. True to the stereotype of the Society of Jesus, Pope Francis has
a very logical mind, so we must pay careful attention to his words. What did Pope Francis
actually say (emphasis added)?
When I meet a gay person, I have to distinguish between their being gay and being part of a
lobby. If they accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge them? They shouldnt be
marginalized. The tendency [to homosexuality] is not the problemtheyre our brothers.
First of all, the supposedly provocative line begins with the word, if, and its a BIG
IF. Most homosexuals do not accept Jesus teachings on chastity. Salvation comes from
Jesus. Sin is a rejection of salvation. Adultery is a sin. Sex outside of marriage is adultery.
The divine sacrament of marriage requires that one man and one woman vow their mutual
love, fidelity, and openness to life publicly and before God. Therefore, homosexual sex is a
rejection of Jesus. QED.
Some people with homosexual tendencies choose to accept the salvation of our Lord and
maintain a life of chastity. This is the key to what Pope Francis is saying: people with
homosexual desires who are able to exhibit this level of self-control should be welcomed as
our brothers and given encouragement in their struggle. This is a very beautiful statement.
However, it does not say anything about people who give in to carnal desires and live
promiscuouslywhether gay or straight.
Pope Francis does hint at this though. He says that the tendency to homosexuality is not
the problem, which is to imply that there is a problem. There may not be an official gay

lobby in the Holy See, but there is definitely a gay lobby in secular political life and it is
viciously opposed to the Catholic Church. People who campaign for same-sex marriage or
who objectify the human body do not have goodwill for us. We do not need to judge them
because their actions speak for themselves.
Its unclear whether the ellipsis indicates that Pope Francis spoke about any of this at all.
He didnt need to though. If you take his words at face value, he made a very powerful
statement which encapsulates all of Catholic teaching on sexuality and chastity in a very
simple and profound observation. He said exactly what he meant to say and nothing more.
Liberal advocates of same-sex marriageespecially in the pressmake a grave error by
misinterpreting his words to imply otherwise.
Pope Francis style of communication is very different from his predecessors. For this
reason it may appear difficult to work out where he stands on certain issues including that
of same-sex marriage.
The difficulty is not just to understand what Pope Francis is saying. It is also to accept his
invitation to live with the tension that results when we take seriously the Churchs
teaching, as well as the complex reality of peoples lives, and accompany them pastorally.
Healing wounds
Pope Francis gave his first major interview in September 2013. In our rapidly changing
world the Pope sees people struggling with issues of the greatest importance for the life of
faith. What people most need at this moment, he says, is a Church that will heal the
wounds and warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity.
From his pastoral experience Pope Francis is keenly aware of how gay people are socially
wounded (his term), and frequently feel that the Church compounds their sense of
exclusion and alienation. He says he has often received letters from homosexuals who feel
that all the Church does is condemn them. But the Church does not want to do this, he
says.
He reiterates what he said after World Youth Day in July 2013: If a homosexual person is
of good will and is in search of God, I am no one to judge it is not right to interfere
spiritually in the life of a person.
Pope Francis goes on to say: Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the
existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person? We must always
consider the person. Here we enter into the mystery of the human being. In life, God
accompanies persons, and we must accompany them, starting from their situation. It is
necessary to accompany them with mercy.
Pope Francis also responds to those who criticise him for not being more outspoken on
issues such as same-sex marriage. He says these matters have to be spoken about in a

context, and while the Churchs teaching is well known, the context is less so. That context
is what he calls the first proclamation, which is the heart of the message of Jesus
Christ. It is the Good News of the saving love of God, without which moral and religious
imperatives will make little sense.
At the same time, Pope Francis has not spoken only of Gods merciful love. He has also
spoken of the demands that Gods love places upon all of us. One area of particular concern
is the urgent need to protect the family, which he sees as central to how the Holy Spirit
flows in to the world.
Protecting the family
Late last year he said that preserving the family as an institution based on marriage
between a man and a woman is not a political cause but a matter of human ecology, as
children have the right to grow up in a family with a father and mother capable of creating
a suitable environment for the childs development and emotional maturity.
Earlier this year, in the Philippines, he said that efforts to redefine marriage were a form of
ideological colonisation resulting from confusing presentations of sexuality and marriage,
which threaten to disfigure Gods plan for Creation.
How can these statements be reconciled with Pope Francis wish for the Church to be a
place of welcome for gay people, and for the need for the Church to heal rather than deepen
their sense of being socially wounded?
As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Bergoglio lived with this tension. While ensuring
the pastoral care of gay people personally as well as through the work of his priests, he also
led his fellow bishops in opposing same-sex marriage. He differed from the other bishops,
however, in that he was willing to accept some form of civil legal protection for same-sex
unions.
In April 2010, on behalf of his fellow bishops he issued a strongly worded pastoral letter
reminding public authorities of their responsibility to protect marriage and its unique
contribution to the common good, and he appealed to their consciences.
He said that the state is not discriminating when it requires there to be a man and a
woman for a marriage contract: it merely recognises a natural reality.
In a paragraph relevant to the current discussion here, he wrote:
A marriage (made up of man and woman) is not the same as the union of two people of the
same sex. To distinguish is not to discriminate but to respect differences At a time when
we place emphasis on the richness of pluralism and social and cultural diversity, it is a
contradiction to minimise fundamental human differences. A father is not the same as a
mother. We cannot teach future generations that preparing yourself for planning a family

based on the stable relationship between a man and a woman is the same as living with a
person of the same sex.
Childrens rights
Pope Francis spoke of the inalienable right of children to develop in the womb of their
mothers, to be born and to grow in the natural environment of marriage. In family life, and
in their relationship with their mother and father, children discover their own identity and
attain personal autonomy.
A few weeks later, in July 2010, he expressed support for a rally being organised by the
Argentine Churchs laity commission. He stressed that the rally should not be seen as
being against anyone, for we do not want to judge those who think and feel differently yet
he said that the passage of the legislation would constitute a real and grave
anthropological step backwards.
At the same time, he asked the events organisers to ensure that both in your language
and in your heart you show no signs of aggression or violence against any of our brothers,
to remember that as Christians we are servants of the truth and not its masters, and that
gentleness should characterise our actions.
Challenging these changes in society was a deeply spiritual ordeal for Cardinal Bergoglio,
and for this reason he wrote to the Carmelite nuns in his diocese asking for their prayers.
In what he thought was a private letter, but which was quickly leaked to the press, he did
not mince his words. He described what was happening as a spiritual battle, with the lives
of children, who would be deprived of being raised as God intended it, at stake.
He asked for prayers that the politicians involved would not be motivated by error or by
the pressures of the moment.
We can conclude from this that for Pope Francis the battle is not between two ideologies.
Christians do not oppose one ideology with another one, but respond with the Gospel of
mercy and love. Understanding this can help us as we try to hold in tension, welcome,
respect, and care for gay people, on the one hand, and opposition to same-sex marriage, on
the other.

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