Pope Francis was flying back to Rome from a papal visit to Georgia and Azerbajan when a reporter asked "given his firm denunciation of gender theory, how he could minister to Catholics who suffered from gender dysphoria."
Words from a pope mean something to some people. Personally, I was raised Lutheran, so I grew up already excommunicated by the Vatican...as Lutherans had been for centuries.
But I have to admit I had expected better from Francis.
At the recently concluded Centesimus annus conference at the Vatican, leaders from countries around the world were invited to discuss the morality, or lack thereof, in the global economy, which Pope Francis has rightfully labelled as "the globalization of indifference".
Invitations to this conference were selective, made by the Pope himself. Having been schooled on the writings of Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, I found resonance with Francis's address before the conference.
Intro
I wanted to get us thinking strategically and even forgivingly about this issue. I cross-posted this at TOP early this evening and got some interesting discussion. As I said in one of my replies to critical questioning:
The following essay was posted on DKos on September 24 of last year, during the Pope's visit to the U.S. I think it's worth a revisit.
I Cried Two Times Last Night
Most people who listened to the Pope's speech to Congress were probably waiting for him to touch on such subjects as inequality, climate change, homosexuals, priest sex scandals, or maybe some other subject.
However, Pope Francis used his strongest words for a topic that doesn't get much attention in the United States, but should.
Now that Pope Francis is on American soil (question: Is the Popemobile considered baggage?), we can turn our attention to the exploding heads on the right (both Vatican and American, from all indications, over the guest list for tomorrow's White House visit.
To put everything in proper context, we should note that there are about 15,000 names on that guest list, so it's not like any one of them is going to spend significant time alone with Francis...or even get close to him, let alone speak to him.
But that's not stopping folks like Mike Huckabee from tweeting:
Classless decision by @POTUS to transform @Pontifex visit into a politicized cattle call is an insult to millions of Catholics.
The man who has asserted that he would have been a pervert if transgender people around when he was young, is especially concerned about the invitations to Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, who is openly gay, transgender activist Mateo Williamson, and former Nun on the Bus, Sister Simone Campbell.
My attention, of course, is on Mateo Williamson, a former leader of the transgender caucus within Dignity USA.
The Vatican’s disapproval of my presence at the ceremony speaks to the necessity for continued dialogue between transgender Catholics and the church hierarchy.
This is really not so much of a political statement as it is the reality that there are so many LGBT Catholics and family members of LGBT people who would really benefit from this message coming from the White House.
--Williamson
This evening's music features The Godfather of Soul, James Brown. Enjoy!
James Brown - Papa's got a brand new bag
This evening's music features Chicago blues harmonica wizard Little Walter Jacobs. Enjoy!
Little Walter - Up the Line
This evening's music features delta blues guitarist and singer, sometimes travelling partner of Robert Johnson, Johnny Shines.
