*puts on academic hat*
There is an awful lot to unpack here. But before I get to it, I must say something. This event is decidedly not the same old "love the sinner, hate the sin" thing. If we believe that, we are only doing our own work on equality a grave disservice.
Pope Francis has deviated from his two papal predecessors in his approach to the papacy. Yes, some of it would be thought of ahead of time, but this pope is something different.
1. His approach is pastoral, not doctrinal.
2. He is the first moderate to hold the papacy in the post-modern era.
In keeping with his beliefs he has...made his own advisors, and those favored by Benedict very uncomfortable. In the space of a few short months Francis has:
1. Shown greater openness to including women a greater role of the religious. Do not mistake this as a sign that he will advocate openly the ordination of women into the greater priesthood, but it represents a major softening of the papacy toward the issue of women religious.
2. He has spoken with greater candor than both of his predecessors. His predecessor cannot be comfortable with the degree of candor Francis has shown. While Francis is not directly critical of Benedict, his actions and comments repudiate the "top down" magisterial rule of Benedict, his comments also sharply deviate from Benedict's policies.
3. He has acknowledged that there are gay priests (something we knew all along) but he has shown no sign of being inclined to defrock them or insult them.
4. Francis has acknowledged that the Church bears a responsibility to it's LGBT flock without using the "intrinsically disordered" argument. He has made it clear the Church must minister to everyone with compassion and dignity. This is where he deviates from his three predecessors sharply.
The Church never moves quickly on anything, but these actions indicate an urgency that the Church has been reluctant to acknowledge. Do not expect the Roman Catholic Church to bless same-gender unions overnight, that is completely unrealistic. But these changes heralded by Francis are unprecedented in the post-modern era...even if they are incremental in nature.
We can analyze these changes thusly:
A. Francis realizes the urgency of the Church's problems from the Pedophilia scandals to the IOR scandal to the "gay lobby" in the Vatican. To even acknowledge the gravity of these issues is not in keeping with the character of his predecessors. The "papal infallibility" doctrine is on the way out thanks to his ascension and Benedict's acknowledgement of his fallibility (frailty) and resigning.
B. Francis makes arch-conservative Catholics squirm. Washing the feet of the poor and including two women in that foot-washing during Easter runs against centuries of Catholic tradition. This action is a statement designed for his priests to see. Speaking warmly about his gay brother priests is not a move designed to enamor you of your conservative clergy who have spent a lifetime demonizing LGBTs in public, the public record is rife with examples of such scabrous remarks.
This analysis is not designed to let the Church off the hook for its behavior, Dolan and a number of the US (Arch)Bishops owe more than an apology to our community. Francis's remarks signal a softening of a hardline Church stance and his manner indicates that his idea of a Magisterium is not aloof, unfeeling, and wholly doctrinal in it's approach. Again, the Church is not going institute change at a million miles per hour or start marrying us overnight. Francis is moving carefully towards the middle of the road and letting his remarks signal slow and measured change.
*academic hat off*
~JC
Caveat lector: I am a pagan that was raised Roman Catholic.
