There’s a saying among some Catholics, “Once a Catholic, always a Catholic.” And by some measures, it’s true, especially if you went to a Catholic elementary school.
We studied Catholicism in my small school in Livingston County, along with math, English, and other subjects. But some of the church’s teachings trouble me as an adult. Attitudes toward women’s health and contraception, abortion, LGBT rights, and ordaining women priests are issues where I don’t share the Vatican’s views.
And that may be why Pope Francis sparked my interest in the Catholic Church again. His humility and openness to opposing views, his willingness to ask for forgiveness, and his stark contrast to past church hierarchy and its judgmental platitudes are what make him so attractive to millions of people around the world.
That’s also why I was so disappointed when I read that Pope Francis held a secret meeting with Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses because it goes against her religious convictions.
I believe Davis sincerely believes in her cause, but I don’t agree that religious freedom, particularly as it pertains to Christians, is under attack in the US. Agreeing with a legal opinion about same-sex marriage and expecting laws to be upheld is not an attack on Davis or her religious freedom.
Where is the empathy for those in the LGBT community who are passed over for a promotion at work, have their application for rental housing denied, or are still prevented from being with their partners in some hospitals and nursing homes?
Who protects LGBT youth when they are tossed out of their homes? Where is the pope’s concern for the young LGBT men and women who choose suicide instead of relentless bullying and torment?
I don’t expect Davis, Pope Francis, or the Catholic Church to change their views, and they shouldn’t expect some of us to change ours. I’m intrigued by Pope Francis and, as he requested, I will pray for him. But the secret Davis meeting was a reminder that LGBT people and their families are still not part of the Catholic family, though for a brief moment he made us believe that we might be.
This article appears in Sep 30 – Oct 6, 2015.
I am so disappointed by this. I’m wishing that, just maybe, he was offering her forgiveness.
The Pope also met with Andrew Cuomo who disregards Catholic teachings with his support for abortion and gay marriage, which he not only promoted but actually performs gay marriage ceremonies. I think the Pope would be within his rights to excommunicate Cuomo. A better answer for those who disagree with the teachings of the Catholic Church is to simply leave. Find a religion that you agree with and join up. The Catholic Church is not a democracy. You can’t hold referendums on policy or vote the hierarchy in or out. You take it or you leave it. Look what happened at Corpus Christie in Rochester years ago. I wonder about other churches that believed for centuries that marriage was between one man and one woman and now have decided that their church (and God?) was wrong. Or are they just giving in and “changing with the times” rather than sticking with their beliefs?
The Pope’s famous question, “Who am I to judge?” gave us all hope that this monolith that is the Catholic church might finally be coming around to the concept of equal rights. However, realistically, asking this question is a very long way from speaking positively in support of equal rights. I think we all got our hopes up prematurely.