A string of recent events from the Catholic Pope has left some progressives feeling disappointed in Francis, a Pope that many before felt was changing things in the church for the better.
Recently, the Pope used a homophobic slur that prompted an apology from the Vatican and he gave a 60-minute interview where he refused to entertain the idea of female priests and ordained deacons.
Controversial Comments
News recently broke of Pope Francis apparently using an Italian homophobic slur in a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops earlier this month.
According to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, the pope said gay people shouldn’t be allowed to become priests because seminaries are already too full of “frociaggine.” This word roughly translates to “f*ggotness” in English.
Gay Men In the Church
The Pope’s assertion that there are already gay men in the clergy is one that seems true. Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of Dignity USA told PBS that there are potentially thousands of gay men serving as clergy already, despite being officially disallowed.
“Well, the reality is there are literally tens of thousands, if not millions, of gay men who are priests or gay men who are in seminaries training to be priests,” said Burke. “So the gays in the priesthood is a reality. God calls whom God wants to call to ordained ministry and to other ministries in our church. The fact that a slur was used, whether intentional or not, really points to the fact that our church is still conflicted to a great degree about the issues of gender and sexual orientation, whether in the priesthood or beyond.”
Online Outrage
After news broke about Francis’s closed-door comments, many people took to social media to criticize the Pope for this offense, expressing disappointment in him.
“So you know how Pope Francis is generally portrayed as a big cuddly liberal? He has just used perhaps the most offensive homophobic term in Italian (basically f*g**t) while calling on bishops not to accept any seminarians who are gay,” said clergy member Marcus Walker on X.
Vatican Apology
The intense backlash to the remarks prompted the Vatican to issue an official apology for the Pope’s actions.
“The Pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he apologises to those who felt offended by the use of a term reported by others,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement on Tuesday. The Pope speaks Italian as a second language.
Skeptical of the Apology
Although the church apologized, some viewed the apology skeptically, feeling that people got a “look behind the curtain” on how the Pope and the current Catholic Church really feel.
“Pope Francis apologises for use of homophobic slur yesterday. He in no way meant to offend gay people, only to condemn them,” said X user Alex O’Connor.
Bursting the Bubble
This latest homophobic gaffe and other actions from Francis may have burst a bubble of hope progressives had been holding onto about the current Pope, who they viewed as more compassionate and open on progressive issues.
In 2023, the Pope criticized anti-homosexuality laws as “unjust” and famously said of LGBT people “If they accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge them?” in 2013.
Hope Draining
The Pope’s statement in 2013 gave progressives hope for changes in the church, but recent events have discouraged that kind of idealism for some.
Earlier this month, the Pope participated in a rare sitdown interview with 60 Minutes, where he gave disappointing answers for progressives about the future of the church.
Future of Women in the Church
At one point in the interview, the Pope was asked an empathetic question about the future of women and girls in the church. The interviewer asked, “For a little girl growing up catholic today, will she ever have the opportunity to be a deacon and participate as a clergy member in the church?”
Francis responded with an emphatic “No.”
Pope Disappointment
The Pope coming out with such an emphatic answer against female clergy was jarring to progressives since Francis has a history of elevating women into positions of power in the Catholic church more than any of his predecessors.
These recent actions by the Pope have shattered the image that many progressives had of him, one that is unlikely to be easily mended.
Liking the Singer But Not the Song
Religion News Service writer Thomas Reese observed a phenomenon of progressive disappointment, thinking there is a dissonance between progressive expectations and the current Pope.
“Too many progressives believe that Francis reflects their views on the church. In truth, he is pastoral in his encounters with people but unwilling to change church teaching in any radical way. Norah O’Donnell aptly quoted an unnamed Vatican observer as saying that Francis has changed the tune but not the words of the song,” wrote Reese.
Pace of Change
Now that the Pope has contradicted his perception as a compassionate trailblazer of LGBT concerns, it creates an issue for the church.
He may lose support from progressives who feel like the progress Francis is making is not fast enough. This motivation problem for progressive Catholics is already starting to take shape in the form of a rise in conservative attitudes in the United States Catholic Church.
