Another rainbow-supporting message from the Vatican – at least on the surface.
“Giving more importance to the adjective (i.e. ‘gay’) than the noun — this is not good.”
This is what Pope Francis said when he met with gay British comedian Stephen K. Amos, one of eight celebrities who participated in BBC Two’s “Pilgrimage: The Road to Rome”, a docu-series about faith and spirituality.
Amos, who is grieving the loss of his mother and twin sister, told the Roman Catholic Church leader that he’s “looking for answers and faith, but as a gay man, I don’t feel accepted.”
Pope Francis responded that “We are all human beings and have dignity. It does not matter who you are or how you live your life, you do not lose your dignity… There are people that prefer to select or discard people, because of the adjective. These people don’t have a human heart.”
.@stephenkamos confronts the Pope about feeling rejected from Christianity because of his sexuality. #Pilgrimage | 9pm | @BBCTwo | https://t.co/yb43mVSdm3#CrossingDivides pic.twitter.com/K1o68WPVDu— BBC Two (@BBCTwo) April 19, 2019
The Roman Catholic Church has historically resisted strides in LGBTQIA liberation, but Pope Francis has – particularly on the surface – shown a more progressive view than his predecessors.
But his messages on LGBTQIA issues have been mixed.
In 2013, for instance, he was widely quoted for saying: “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”
But in 2018, he reportedly instructed bishops to keep gay men out of the priesthood. He also reportedly criticized trans-inclusive education, arguing instead that children be taught to “accept their own body as it was created”; and he objects to marriage equality.
