So, the new Pope was sworn in today and an adoring fan told the New York Times: “He wouldn’t stop kissing a baby in his tour on 
the pope mobile earlier, right here, in front of me.” At which point one Cardinal turned to another and said, “Who does Francis think he is? He’s been Pope for fifteen minutes and he’s already stolen my date.”
All kidding aside, (I think we are kidding, but you never know with this bunch), it is good to see the new Pope focus on poverty and not act as pretentious and pompous as the last old guy in a white dress. Here is what Francis I said:
“He must be inspired by the lowly, concrete and faithful service which marked St. Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God’s people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important, those whom Matthew lists in the final judgment on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison.”
One can’t help but notice, however, that LGBT people were pointedly excluded from the Pope’s “love-in.” If he were truly interested in helping the desperate around the globe, he would immediately call for the cessation of all homophobia and abolition of all anti-gay laws worldwide. After all, who among God’s people is more vulnerable than the gay man living in Uganda? Who is more desperate than the lesbian couple raising a child in Jamaica? Who is weaker than the LGBT youth trying to live an authentic life in Saudi Arabia or Iran? Who is more defenseless than the young lesbian in Africa who is a victim of “corrective rape” to turn her from gay to straight? Who is more persecuted than the gay rights activist facing down neo-Nazi’s and dodging eggs and bottles in Putin’s neo-czarist Russia?
What will the new Pope do for these people? Will he lend a helping hand or cause lasting harm by clubbing the LGBT downtrodden with venomous words that encourage his followers to stigmatize or even commit violence?
I suppose Francis I does not consider lowly homosexuals “God’s People.” While he served as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Bergoglio wrote while opposing a marriage equality bill:
“Let’s not be naive, we’re not talking about a simple political battle; it is a destructive pretension against the plan of God. We are not talking about a mere bill, but rather a machination of the Father of Lies that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God.”
Yes, let’s not be naive. The chances of anything nice coming out of Francis I mouth on LGBT rights is slim to none. The best we can hope for is that he deemphasizes culture war issues and continues trying to uplift the downtrodden. The new Pope can either go down in history as a man of hope or hate. The choice is his and we hope he chooses the right path. But, we do know that his legacy partially hinges on how he handles LGBT issues.
Another pharisaical hypocrite. They have more kindness and ‘love’ for men who rape children than they do for lgbt people. Sick and twisted beyond belief!
I will actually believe he cares for the downtrodden and the poor when he sells off the Vatican gold and other wealth and gives it to the poor. That’s what that Jesus guy said to do, anyway. But, who listens to him anymore? Certainly not the church.
I agree that they need to sell off some of their vast wealth to help the needy of the world, except for the art treasures. They belong to the world. I saw them when I was at the Vatican and they are truly breath taking and should never be sold off to private collectors.
Gary, I agree, the art treasures are in a museum for the world to see, at a reasonable entry fee. They must not be dispersed. But the Church owns properties all over the world that are NOT churches, rectories, convents or schools. All tax exempt; there is NO reason for this accumulated wealth.
oh yeah and pedophiles can keep getting a pass and the millions of poor and needy are at the bottom of the list yet again but those damned queers smdho— this infuriates the hell right out of me!!!
That is true, Candace. He still has a lot of treasure and coin — minus the $3 billion and counting spent to settle child molestation cases.
I was relieved when he didn’t say anything about LGBT people. When Benedict spoke of the environment and the family, he took a swipe at gay people, saying we are a threat to both. Sure I would like Francis to speak in our behalf. But if he is not going to speak positively or in our defense, it is better he say nothing at all.
Candace said “I will actually believe he cares for the downtrodden and the poor when he sells off the Vatican gold and other wealth and gives it to the poor.”.
Yes, I was thinking that the other day when I was looking at the ostentatious surroundings the pope lives in. The pope lives like a king surrounded by the trappings of a sickening degree of wealth. The optics of that couldn’t look more hypocritical for an organization that laughably claims to be about humbly helping the poor.
My partner and I recently met an ex-Catholic priest while on vacation in Ft. Lauderdale. (You may know him Wayne-he lives part time in Manhattan with his husband. His name is Tony Adams.) Tony was “pretty high up there” when he quit. He actually participated in Midnight Mass in the Vatican in the 1980′s. He is such an interesting guy. He was just saying how hypocritical they all are. He estimated that at least 75% of those guys are gay. That was known as fact and the Church was aware of it and perfectly fine with it. And yes they had many sexual “encounters” with each other. So again..we see some of the loudest homophobic rhetoric coming not fro straight people but from gay people. I have always said those people are our biggest obstacle in gaining gay rights.
The one thing like about this church is the amazing art — some of the best parts of vacations in Europe. Although, the heathen part of me keeps wondering how amazing they would be if converted into gay nightclubs, ala the old Limelight in New York.
Wayne, I just commented on the art treasures. What is amazing is how many are extravagant things designed to hold the “Host,” gold, diamonds, etc. Beautiful, for sure, but just IMAGINE what “Jesus” would think of such things (if he even existed?).
I can imagine the Pope walking into a Pawn shop down an alley in Rome and asking the broker, “So, how much for this DaVinci?”
I agree, they need to sell some of the goods to help the poor.
I always tell everybody to read Hadrian VII, by Frederick rolfe, Baron corvo. It pretty much tears the papacy a new one in the most kind, gentle terms.
I have been annoyed by the media coverage of this. All the reporters seem to be parrotting the line about him being accessable and modest but don’t talk about how he’s still a conservative and there won’t be any actual policy changes in the church.
Well, being an openly gay Roman Catholic who still practices the faith, this pope is wonderful. He didn’t mention gay people in his homily — so what? So what? He’s giving his first homily as the official head of the Church and speaking to all in a general sense. Let’s see what he says officially in the coming times. Remember, this man is also a human who has opinions, which are NOT considered official teachings of the Church. They are just opinions — even if he speaks as pope. It seems some people on this site — moreso the administrator — need to really study what the Church is about before speaking. Oh — and if you are going to take the Church to task about selling what She has to help the poor, you do so first and then dare to speak. Until then, your opinion is just that.
Jim Barnett, we know what the church is about.
This site is about gay issues, especially as far as anti-gay religions and conversion therapies.
The church is abysmal on gay issues and terrible in HIV AIDS prevention in developing nations. It’s great that they minister to the poor (although under Benedict that took a back seat to pushing the church’s social agenda) but if they tell people not to use condoms AIDS will continue to spread.
What exactly do you think we don’t know about the church?
Aside from the LGBT issues, there is also his culpability in exposing Liberation Theology priests in Argentina to Galtieri’s gang of murderers and torturers.
And what about the fact that to this day the Vatican denies the absolute equality of women and men?
Jim said ” It seems some people on this site — moreso the administrator — need to really study what the Church is about before speaking.”.
Oh, Puleeze. There is hardly a person on this planet who isn’t intimately familiar with what the church is all about. We’ve seen it, we’ve lived it, we know it, and we’re disgusted by it.
Jim said “Oh — and if you are going to take the Church to task about selling what She has to help the poor, you do so first and then dare to speak. Until then, your opinion is just that.”.
You must be joking. None of us has the grotesque excess of wealth that could be easily liquidated to help the poor with no impact on our standard of living. We help the poor through large tax contributions and many of us lobby to pay even more taxes to help the downtrodden. The stinking church doesn’t pay any taxes, it sucks up vast amounts of money from the undeserved goodwill of the public in order to live in appalling opulence. There’s no comparing what little of what the church has that its contributed to the poor with what we have that we’ve contributed to the poor. The church is a grotesque pig consumming everything in sight and bragging about how the poor have access to the scraps that accidentally fall from its mouth when it attempts to stuff in more than it can handle.