Pope Francis approves same sex unions - does he really approve homosexuality?

The news broke yesterday that pope Francis endorsed the same sex civil unions while speaking in a documentary. However the questions are more than the answers. The practical introduction of gay civil unions to be LEGALLY ALLOWED by and inside the Catholic Church with priestly blessings on the ceremonies, is still far behind the horizon.

www.dw.com...

"Who am I to judge gay people?" Pope Francis reportedly said to journalists on a flight back to Rome from Rio de Janeiro after a resounding World Youth Day in July 2013.

Seven years later, the pontiff has returned to the controversial subject of homosexuality in the Catholic Church. In Francesco, a new documentary film about the pope by Evgeny Afineevsky, he says: "Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it."

Nobody? Even Catholic priests and believers? What's certain is that the Catholic Church's approach to homosexuality is full of contradictions and double standards. After all, the same pope who has now endorsed same-sex civil unions is against same-sex marriage. The same pope who says that people should not be made "miserable" because of their sexual orientation is against gay men joining the clergy.

No place for homosexuality in the Catholic Church
Within the Catholic Church, however, homosexuality remains taboo. In October 2015, the pope fired a gay Polish priest who had come out in spectacular fashion shortly before a key summit on the family.

In 2018, in a series of conversations with the Spanish missionary Fernando Prado which were published under the title The Strength of a Vocation: Consecrated Life Today, the pontiff said there was "no room" for homosexuality in the Catholic Church. "For this reason, the Church urges that persons with this rooted tendency not be accepted into (priestly) ministry or consecrated life," he said.

In Germany, however, the Central Committee of German Catholics has called for "the power of blessings not to be withheld" from same-sex couples for years. "We are campaigning for an official rite for blessing homosexual couples to be developed," it said in an official statement in November 2019.

At the same time, the catholic ultra right wing rises on fierce opposition. The battle for domination of hearts and minds of 1.3 bln catholcis is not from yesterday. The last words of pope Francis will likely speed up the outcome that may see two separate catholic churches and after his death - the election of two popes.

Here are words of US cardinal Raymond Burke, former Vatican bureaucrat, now retired.

“Such declarations generate great bewilderment and cause confusion and error among Catholic faithful, inasmuch as they are contrary to the teaching of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, and of the recent Magisterium by which the Church guards, protects and interprets the whole deposit of faith contained in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.”

“First of all, the context and the occasion of such declarations make them devoid of any magisterial weight.”

“It is a source of deepest sadness and pressing pastoral concern that the private opinions reported with so much emphasis by the press and attributed to Pope Francis do not correspond to the constant teaching of the Church, as it is expressed in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, and is guarded, protected and interpreted by the Magisterium. Equally sad and concerning is the turmoil, confusion, and error they cause among the Catholic faithful, as is the scandal they cause, in general, by giving the totally false impression that the Catholic Church has had a change of course, that is, has changed its perennial teaching regarding such fundamental and critical questions.”

a reply to: 2012newstart

False Prophet of Revelation? The man who thinks he speaks for God and can change times and laws?

Starting to look that way.

I believe he is just setting the stage for putting his profile on Grindr. At least he and his Pedophile fellow priests aren’t trying to hide it anymore.

Pope Francis wants whatever appeals to the most people. That increases donations dramatically.

The Catholic church has had to pay out billions of dollars in lawsuits.

originally posted by: Metallicus
IAt least he and his Pedophile fellow priests aren’t trying to hide it anymore.

excuse me, but gay civil unions have nothing to do with the pedophile priests.

Thanks OP; I was wondering when someone would start a thread on this.

Conservative Catholics will no doubt be up in arms about this, but they’re already upset with Pope Francis over a lot of things.

At the end of the day, this is pretty consistent with what he’s said about it before: he doesn’t support gay marriage, but he’s OK with civil unions because of the protections afforded therein. He made this distinction before he was even elected Pope.

This is also quite consistent with Francis’ papacy in general: He’s gone out of his way to walk the walk of his namesake. He cares about the poor, the immigrant, the outcast, the hungry, the environment.

As a Catholic myself, I applaud Pope Francis. Definitely a fan.

originally posted by: Gandalf77
Oops. Went to correct a typo & accidentally responded to myself.

edit on 23-10-2020 by Gandalf77 because: (no reason given)

a reply to: 2012newstart

To do so would END the catholic church, it would cause an Exodus of Christians to breakaway church's and to even leave the catholic faith behind entirely, he is not really pope though is he not as long as Pope Benedict is still alive, his resignation went against catholic tradition and the rule of God's Anointing and Christ did not resign when he had to carry the cross so Benedict is actually STILL really pope regardless.

Though not quite an anti pope if Francis continues along this path he will go down in history as just that an Anti Pope.

Benedict is still alive and may very well outlive Francis, he may have retired for other reasons as many popes have been assassinated even though the church often says they died of natural causes so maybe he had no choice but to get out and wait in the shadows to see whom his enemy's really were.

a reply to: Gandalf77

The difference between legal marriage and a legal union is just a piece of paper anyway isn't it?

Here in Illinois, if you stay with somebody more than 3 months you are a civil union. No documentation required other than having a joint residence together.

a reply to: LABTECH767

Benedict is pope emeritus. He's not the first pope to resign; he's the first to resign on his own since Celestine the V in 1294; it doesn't happen often, but it does happen.
Pope Francis was duly elected by a papal conclave, so there really isn't any doubt: Francis is the Pope.

a reply to: Gandalf77

NOT if he goes against GODS own law, then he is a traitor and an anti pope, then there is the possibility he was also involved in covering up child abuse in the church, all priests that are guilty of that are already excommunicated by Christ himself and his earthly church unless it is in rebellion against it's own Lord should have defrocked them long ago, putting them over a congregation is the literal casting of pearl before swine.

Francis already WRONGLY said that Christs life ended in the Failure of the Cross, it was wrong the Cross is our ultimate triumph because Christ took OUR failure upon himself and he rose victorious from death on the third day, I am not saying he was wrong as English is not his first language and it may have been a translation error on his part with his meaning being expressed wrongly BUT it is and remains controversial.

Jesus was born TO die for us and he did that, TO Free us and he did that, TO take our place and save us and he did that, his whole life was a triumph.


Also the Virgin Mary warned the Church and the Priests, told how the evil priests will be dealt with by her son as well.
Look up the third prophecy of Fatima not the official one but the one disclosed through other mean's about the fall of Rome and the death of the Bishop of Rome, as long as there is a single catholic bishop the catholic church will survive but Rome will Not, it will survive in Ecuador, Portugal and other places.
On that note look at the prophecy's of our lady of good success, not directly about rome but if the whole world is black and that includes the church and only a few remain true and faithful then what does that mean for Rome in those final day's.
www.tfp.org...

That lot has been buming each other, the poor altar boys, and anybody else daft enough to leave their children unattended or in their care since Simon Peter was a fisherman.

originally posted by: infolurker
a reply to: 2012newstart

False Prophet of Revelation? The man who thinks he speaks for God and can change times and laws?

Starting to look that way.

The False Prophet paving the way for the antichrist .

a reply to: andy06shake

Ever hear the one about the mars bar I can not remember it properly but extremely funny and tragic, not all priests were bad but for as long as they have had power bad people have wanted to insinuate themselves into that role, when they were persecuted Christianity was at it's best because that is when those kind of people DON'T want a target painted on them.
Most though are good men and woman, well good intentioned anyway non is good but God as our Lord said.
Some are the wolves in sheep's clothing we were warned about.

The tragedy of this is that ANTI Catholic's will use it when in fact it is not just one church but all churches that have had these demons attacking them from within and all faiths even Hindu's and Buddhists have had there share of them as well.

a reply to: LABTECH767

Mmmkay.

a reply to: Gandalf77

thanks Gandalf. I wonder at 83 turning 84 how long he will be able to do that, and who will be the next pope.. If a number of prophecies are true, 2020 - 21 may be the key years. For what? And how that step made by pope Francis fit in the puzzle? I guess soon we will know. Because he knows a number of secrets, Fatima and Garabandal included their exact dates (both have them we know that).

originally posted by: carewemust
a reply to: Gandalf77

The difference between legal marriage and a legal union is just a piece of paper anyway isn't it?

Here in Illinois, if you stay with somebody more than 3 months you are a civil union. No documentation required other than having a joint residence together.

In this context, the difference is much more than a piece of paper.
Notice that Francis isn't calling for officially-blessed gay marriages? He's stated his opposition to that before. Marriage is a sacrament in the Catholic church; it's between a man and a woman.

A civil union, in the context Francis is discussing it, provides the same legal protections marriage does, but they're still separate and and distinct where the church is concerned.

In terms of the situation in Illinois you mention, is that civil union the same thing as "common law"? Does that civil union provide the same legal protections that marriage does? That is, if two gay people are in a civil union in Illinois, do they have legal and financial rights such as receiving family rates on insurance, property inheritance rights, right to sue for spouse's wrongful death, etc?

he spent $30 million on apartments above europes biggest gay club,
he has no problem with gay marriage.

a reply to: LABTECH767

pope emeritus Benedict said many times that he fully supports the only pope - Francis. I understand the desire of the ultra conservatives to turn back history using the name of the 93 year old Ratzinger to raise the flag. It won't work.

As of those "many" who want to leave the Catholic church in "Exodus",well why don't they do it? It would be better for the rest as well as of themselves. Just read what cardinal Burke and archbishop Vigano wrote, two fierce leading opponents of pope Francis. They do not intend to leave, they intend to sabotage from inside. Any other pope, even St John Paul II, would have excommunicated Vigano by now for his persistent and public denouncement of pope Francis (in his previous letters he refereed to the pope and the Catholic church as "Bergoglio and Bergoglian deep church"). Let remember that archbishop Lefebvre was excommunicated by John Paul II for less, without having the outrageous rhetoric of today's ultra conservatives.

Maybe the ultra conservatives await pope Francis to die, when they will officially secede. Because they cannot win in a canonical conclave. Out of 120 cardinals electors they don't have even 10. And they do not number more than let say 10 million people including their large families with many kids that are not necessarily as fanatical as their parents are. Maybe those fanatics can make mini US catholic "true" church, because as a matter of fact they are led by US priesthood. No matter the majority of the US bishops and priests are not fanatical conservatives and support fully pope Francis, still the liberty and the financial means in the US gives a fertile ground for ultraconservatives to do their work. Of course they will accuse everyone else starting with the German modernist bishops. But the fact is a fact: they are DESPERATELY THIN MINORITY compared to the worldwide Church. Well, maybe some Indian and African local bishops will join with their large dioceses to benefit financially of such "catholic church", don't know.