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Pope Francis Was No Ally To The Oppressed
The Catholic Church still brands women, queer and trans people as inferior beings
This week, people throughout the world are mourning the death of Pope Francis. While a sad occasion for his many followers, the passing of the ailing pontiff at the age of 88 was neither untimely nor unexpected.
Also not unexpected is the hailing of Francis as “groundbreaking” and “progressive” in his approach to marginalized people, including members of the LGBTQ community. This assessment is being made not just by Catholics, but by mainstream liberal publications, such as The Guardian.
This is, in a word, bullshit.
From the beginning of his papacy, Pope Francis sought to embody humility and compassion, eschewing much of the pomp and circumstance normally afforded to the head of the Catholic Church. Humility and compassion are admirable and needed virtues, and I believe his advocacy for the poor and the displaced was genuine and commendable. But his mere suggestion that queer and trans people be treated with compassion was not the same as recognizing us as equal human beings.
In 2013, soon after becoming Pope, the “groundbreaking” statement Francis made regarding the LGBTQ community was: “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good…
