An article by Jamie Manson at NCR struck me profoundly. Despite all the positive energy being generated by Pope Francis since his election in March, despite the real hope generated by Francis’ teachings, gestures and actions, such as shifting the focus from an inward-looking church to a more people-oriented church, simplicity, humility, and so on, the truth is, as Manson states eloquently in her article, wounds inflicted by the very rigidly doctrinaire reigns of John Paul II and Benedict XVI on people will not really heal unless certain teachings of the church do not change. Manson presents Catholic positions on homosexuality as a case in point. If homosexuality and homosexual acts cannot be seen as part of God’s overall plan for some humans and are treated as intrinsic evils, no amount of politeness on the part of the church toward homosexuals will help alleviate the situation in a real way because, at the end of the day, they will still be considered as having chosen a “sinful” lifestyle.
This is why a deeper rethinking of Christianity and Catholicism, in particular, is necessary. It was why I couldn’t remain in a position of an “official” representative of Catholicism.
The full article of Jamie Manson is at:
