Pope Francis seeks to balance inclusion with Vatican tradition, what do parishioners say?

When reports surfaced that Pope Francis had used an anti-gay slur while speaking to Italian bishops at a conference last month, many Catholics were shocked and bewildered. How could a pope known for his openness and acceptance of the LGBTQ community use homophobic words and warn prelates against admitting gay men into seminaries?

But the question, and the apparent inconsistency in Francis’ message, reflect the deep contradictions and tensions underlying the Catholic Church and Francis’s relationship with homosexuality.

The church maintains that “homosexual tendencies” are “intrinsically disordered.” As for ordination, its guidelines state that people with “deep-seated” homosexual tendencies should not become priests.

However, ordination has also long been something of a refuge for gay Catholics, according to researchers and priests, who say thousands of clergy are gay, although few make their sexual orientation public.

The sexual abuse crisis that emerged 20 years ago fueled accusations by some conservative bishops and church media that homosexuality was to blame, even though studies have found no link between being gay and child abuse.

Even though Francis has taken a more progressive approach, Church teachings still describe homosexuality as a deviation and have enshrined that view in regulations and restrictions that critics say perpetuate a homophobic outlook.

“Until they change the law, as long as homosexuality is seen as a deviation and a disease, nothing will change,” said Luciano Tirinnanzi, who wrote a book about LGBTQ people and the church.

It’s hard to know how many priests are gay, but in the United States, gay men probably make up at least 30 to 40 percent of the clergy, according to a 2019 investigation by The New York Times.

In May, Francis said there was already too much homosexuality in the Church, using a pejorative term, two bishops present at the conference reported, prompting an apology from the Vatican. The bishops blamed the insult on Francis’ relaxed and colorful conversational style.

Luigi Mansi, Bishop of the Italian city of Andria, said the church believes ordination should be avoided because it is more difficult for gay men to “observe and live celibacy.” Experts and prelates who promote LGBTQ rights strongly deny this claim.

The confusion, critics said, shifts the focus from priests who are not chaste to a widespread stigmatization of all gay clergy.

When Francis last year allowed priests to bless same-sex couples, some bishops objected. To placate them, the Vatican issued a statement saying that “local culture” must be taken into account.

Francesco Lepore, a former employee of the Vatican’s Latin department who left the church, came out as gay and became an activist, said Francis’ opening messages would be undermined if church teachings and some clergy continued to view homosexuality as a disorder.

“The difficulties, the fissures that the church is experiencing,” he said. “Everything comes from there.”