Dear Pope Francis: Wrong Answer

Dear Pope Francis,

You really blew it on this one. Your condemnation of gay relationships as “sin” misses the mark of Christian love by a country mile. Love is love. Who are you to judge? Who are you to cherry-pick a few passages of Scripture, take them out of context, and make a sweeping pronouncement about ten percent of the world’s population. I must say, it takes some serious chutzpah.

It seemed to the world that you were the Pope who would bring the Roman Catholic church out of the dark ages. You seemed so progressive and loving to so many. Apparently you draw the line at the LGBTQI community. And, pardon me for saying, such judgement is way above your pay grade.

The Roman Catholic church could take a few lessons from us Protestants. After all, we have been putting the “protest” in Protestant for centuries. Many of us, not all, believe that love is the basis for the covenant of marriage regardless of gender or gender identity. Further, we believe that loving couples of any gender can choose to be parents because love makes a family. By condemning gay relationships as “sin” you exclude thousands of loving couples who desire to be parents to the many foster children in need of loving homes. Talk about above your pay grade.

Even the government of the United States is beginning to get it. On March 16^th  the House of Representatives passed H.R.5-Equality Act which is summarized as follows: “This bill prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing credit, and the jury system. Specifically, the bill defines and includes sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation.” Further, “The bill allows the Department of Justice to intervene in equal protection actions in federal court on account of sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill prohibits an individual from being denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual’s gender identity.”

It seems you have some remedial learning to do. The issue of human sexuality is complex and many faceted. Granted, the church has a pretty lousy record of promoting a healthy theology of sexuality, so remediation is a big topic. All the while the church has had a stellar record of protecting priests who molest children and obfuscate the issue with misinformation about who abuses children. That’s another letter for another time.

Allow me to start your first lesson. A child has a far greater chance of being abused by a heterosexual male who has access to an age-appropriate partner, than being abused by a gay person. Abusers are a complex category, but suffice it to say in relation to this topic, gay people pose less threat to children than the general male population.

Second, gays do not go out and “recruit” for the lifestyle. Gay people who work with children do not have a secret handshake they teach children to begin inculcating them to the gay life. Gay people are not out recruiting adults either, for that matter. Being gay is not something one chooses, it is how one is born. Gay people are created in the image of God and bear God within them the same way as straight people. Given the homophobia embodied by institutions like the Roman Catholic church, why would anyone choose to be gay?

Third, you would also benefit from a deeper study of biblical texts. Placing them in their larger context yields a different meaning than simple condemnation of a particular group.

Finally, by calling gay relationships “sin” you are alienating a significant percentage of your members. Faithful Catholics who desire the blessing of the church are left with the feeling that their church has abandoned them, that they are not worthy. Roman Catholics who take their faith seriously are devastated by such a definitive pronouncement. Supporters of the LGBTQI community are also disappointed in their church for being so narrow minded.

Those who are abandoned by the Roman Catholic church will find a warm welcome in Open and Affirming congregations in the United Church of Christ. We welcome them with open arms and bless the covenant of love they share. I stand in the full authority of the office of ordained pastor and proclaim that love is love and those who pledge their lives together in covenant relationship deserve to be blessed, married and welcomed into the community of faith.

If you are interested in learning more about this topic, please contact me.

Humbly in Christ’s Unjudging Love I Remain,

Rev. Patricia L. Liberty