In the monastery Mater Ecclesiae,  the earth is said to having trembled today. It is where Joseph Ratzinger lives, the emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, one of the most powerful opponents of reforms of the sexual doctrine in the Roman Catholic Church.

On Wednesday, October 21, 2020, the documentary “Francesco” by Yevgeny Afineevsky was shown to the public in Rome for the first time. It contains probably one of the most sensational statements that Pope Francis (who is known for his courageous reform proposals, but mostly remain nothing more than warm words) has made so far:

“What we need is a law on registered civil partnership. In this way they are legally secured”.

Homosexuals would have a right to be part of the family. They are children of God and have a right to a family, the pontiff continued.

“Nobody should be thrown out or made unhappy because of it.”

More and more queer-friendly statements

Lesbians and gays are also “children of God”, said Pope Francis on September 16th during a short audience with members of the association Tenda di Gionata. God and the Catholic Church would love homosexuals “as they are”, the Pope assured the approximately 40 parents of LGBTIQ* children present.

Also in a speech to the participants of the World Congress of Criminal Law Experts on November 15, 2019, Pope Francis deviated from his prepared speech. Instead, he declared that it was no coincidence “that symbols typical of National Socialism sometimes reappear”, because “certain speeches” by politicians reminded him of Hitler’s speeches in 1934 and 1936. The head of the church made it clear:

“These are actions typical of National Socialism, which, with its persecution of Jews, gypsies, people of homosexual orientation, represents the central negative model of a culture of rejection and hatred. This is what was done in those days, and today these things are being reborn.”

Although the Argentine Pope did not call any politician by name, his criticism at the time probably alluded to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. The extreme right-wing politician is an open homophobe who repeatedly makes headlines with indisputable statements like “I am homophobic and proud of it”.

Even if deeds have never followed the warm words so far, constant dripping can hollow the stone. We remain curious.

Please follow and like us: