Written by Michael Thervil
Photo by Andrew Medichini / AP
This seems to be a question that seems to be gaining traction on everyone’s minds more and more with each passing day. Within the Catholic Church the Pope is viewed as the “Vigor of Christ” – meaning that he [the Pope] stands in place of Christ to provide leadership for the Catholic Church and to be the moral compass of the world. But is he still relevant anymore? With his newest decision to allow priest to marry gays and lesbians – there a large population of both practitioners of the Catholic faith and the general population that feels disgusted by his decision to allow priest to do so.
Many are wondering where all of this support for gay marriage is coming from – especially in these days in times where for so long before this recent decision; gays and lesbians were not allowed to be married by the priest of the Catholic Church. Was there some kind of deal made behind closed doors? Is this an attempt to boost the numbers of catholic practitioners? Is this a strategically executed public relations campaign or was the Catholic Church paid off like most politicians by some sort of LGBTQ lobbyist? Right now, the answer is unclear. But what we do know is that many practitioners of the Catholic faith are “pissed off”.
Taking a look at the historical record when it comes to marriage protocols within the Catholic Church, it has historically been against the marrying of gays and lesbians. Even more than that the Catholic Church has historically been against gays and lesbians practicing Catholicism within its walls as well. This has been the standard quo for centuries and the world knows this, but it wouldn’t be until 2013 when this would change, when Pope Francis, one of the most liberal of Popes decided to take the position of being more lenient and accepting of gays and lesbians within the Catholic Church.
Photo by Riccardo Antimiani / EPA / TASS
He [Pope Francis] took the position of: “Who am I to judge?” When it came to gays being priest in the Catholic Church. Many practitioners saw Pope Francis as “weak” and “failing to uphold traditional catholic values''. Agree with them or not, there could be some truth to their position. One could take the stance that if the Pope is to be seen as the Vigor of Christ, then he would inherently be in the position to judge. If he isn’t then what’s the point of standing as the Vigor of Christ? Many people can concur that with leadership comes with the ability and responsibility to judge. If a leader can’t come to or make a judgment call; then how are followers to legitimize the leadership role (in this case the Pope) in guiding or directing them on the right moral and spiritual path?
Could the Pope be falling victim of being too morally weak to guide the Catholic Church just as many other Pastors, Elders, Bishops, and Preachers are because they “don’t want to offend anyone”? Again, for many people it seems that way. It could be said that the idea of being all inclusive does more harm than good. In the case of the Catholic Church, that harm could come in the form of it becoming not only morally bankrupt but it’s becoming spiritually bankrupt as well. Whether people like it or not, people need boundaries and consequences, especially for those that break the boundaries which serve as the moral principles of a society, and in this case it’s the religious principles of the Catholic Church that are appearing to be broken. And with broken morals comes a broken people; and with a broken people comes chaos.
Maybe the Founding Father of Sociology August Comte was right – maybe Sociologists are the "High Priest of Humanity" – because right now and for a very long while the Catholic Church has been failing to deliver on that mission.
Comentarios