What Pope Leo Did Not Say

A lot has been said and written about Poe Leo’s recent interview with Crux. Understandably, we are all anxious to understand what Pope Leo’s perspective is on many topics. Many in the West, and in particular the United States; are tremendously eager to know what approach Pope Leo will take toward issues of sexuality, gender, and marriage. Therefore, it was not a surprise when the Western media jumped on the excerpt of the interview which touched on so called LBGTQ issues. The media and public were quick to focus on and analyze one sentence in particular. 

What He Said and Did Not Say

In the excerpt, Pope Leo is quoted as saying “I think we have to change attitudes before we even think about changing what the Church says about any given question.” This one sentence taken out of context could certainly raise eyebrows. However, it was immediately followed by Pope Leo saying, “I find it highly unlikely, certainly in the near future, that the church’s doctrine in terms of what the church teaches about sexuality, what the Church teaches about marriage, [will change].”

There seemed to be three general reactions to this comment. Those who disagree with the Church’s teaching on sex, gender and marriage saw it as a welcome opening toward possible change. Many who support the Chruch’s current teaching saw it as a red flag, that Leo could see a possible change in Church teaching, even if it is far in the future. Then, there are perhaps the pragmatic majority that see the comment as very vague and in need of more context. Fortunately, Pope Leo, although not wanting to dwell on the issue, provided plenty of context.

Why Even Consider Changing Teaching?

A careful reading of the other excerpts of the interview released suggest the first two reactions miss the mark. They take this one line out of context and isolated from the pattern with which Leo answered other questions.

For example, the question Leo addressed immediately prior to the LBGT issue was on the possibility of ordaining women as Deacons. In his answer, Pope Leo points out that outside of the United States, the Permanent Deaconate has not really caught-on yet. In fact, the Permanent Deaconate was only reinstated in 1967. Currently there are just over 50,000 permanent deacons worldwide, but 40% of those are in the United Staes despite the U.S. only being 5% of the worlds Catholic population. So, Pope Leo smartly points out, “Why would we talk about ordaining women to the diaconate if the diaconate itself is not yet properly understood and properly developed and promoted within the church?” His approach to these questions seems to be one of logic. Why would we consider Z if we have not addressed or fully realized X. Similarly, he seems to be saying why would be consider changes to teaching on sexuality and marriage if we have not fully explained Church teaching in a way for all Catholics to understand.

Additional evidence that Pope Leo has no intention of changing Church teaching on sexuality and marriage is the quote which follows shortly after the sentence in question.

“I’ve already spoken about marriage, as did Pope Francis when he was pope, about a family being a man and a woman in solemn commitment, blessed in the sacrament of marriage. But even to say that, I understand some people will take that badly. In Northern Europe they are already publishing rituals of blessing ‘people who love one another’, is the way they express it, which goes specifically against the document that Pope Francis approved, Fiducia Supplicans, which basically says, of course we can bless all people, but it doesn’t look for a way of ritualizing some kind of blessing because that’s not what the Church teaches.”

Somehow the advocates of change seemed to have missed this statement which when read carefully is very strong. He also points out the that this is not a central issue for the rest of the world. Pope Leo recalled that “a cardinal from the eastern part of the world said to me before I was pope, about “the western world is fixated, obsessed with sexuality.” A person’s identity, for some people, is all about sexual identity, and for many people in other parts of the world, that’s not a primary issue.” It is very much Western centric to focus on the issues of sex, gender, and marriage when so much of the Catholic world is living through war, persecution, and poverty.

Poe Leo seems to feel he does not need to make a new pronouncement on these two hot button issues because there is already Church teaching. He is saying they are not the real issues if we get our house in order. If we focus on the truth of the Gospel and make that a priority; these questions become less prevalent because they become isolated fringe issues rather than questions central to our flourishing as Christians in society. We must strengthen or families, our schools, and all our relationships and center them on Christ. That is when attitudes will have changed enough to accept that Church teaching cannot change when it based on the Truth that God has revealed. Pope Leo goes even further clarifying his response as he continued by saying:

"I do understand that this is a very hot-button topic and that some people will make demands to say, “we want the recognition of gay marriage,” for example, or “we want recognition of people who are trans,” to say this is officially recognized and approved by the church. The individuals will be accepted and received. Any priest who has ever heard confessions will have heard confessions from all kinds of people with all kinds of issues… I think that the Church’s teaching will continue as it is, and that’s what I have to say about that for right now.”

Notice that the words “for right now” apply to what he personally has to say on the topic for right now. This phrase does not apply to his statement that “the Church’s teaching will continue as it is.” That certainly sounds like a commitment to the Church’s defense of the truth regarding sexuality. The fact that it is not the most important topic in his mind does not lessen his orthodoxy. For those that need more convincing, Pope Leo reinforced Church teaching on family and directly tied confusion on these issues to a breakdown in the family:

“Families need to be supported, what they call the traditional family. The family is father, mother, and children. I think that the role of the family in society, which has at times suffered in recent decades, once again has to be recognized, strengthened. I just wonder out loud if the question about polarization and how people treat one another doesn’t also come from situations where people did not grow up in the context of a family”

The Truth

These strong statements that “the Church’s teaching will continue as it is” and “the family is father, mother, and children” definitively reinforce the Truth of Catholic teaching. It is this belief that there is a “Truth” that many in today’s society resist. The resistance to Truth transcends political tribes. While the LBGT issue is a source for resisting the truth on the left. The political right has its own blinders on when it comes to the truth that the Church defends. That is what is so encouraging about Leo’s statement that “I think this is a way of addressing some of the greatest challenges that we have in the world today. If we listen to the Gospel, and if we reflect upon it together, and if we strive to walk forward together, listening to one another, trying to discover what God is saying to us today, there is a lot to be gained for us there.” For it is by clinging to the Gospel that together we can all learn to accept the Truth, even if it challenges our personal beliefs. 

While Pope Leo is fascinating because he still proudly calls himself an American and speaks fondly of baseball and other American pastimes. Having spent more than half of his ministerial life in Peru and then may years in Rome, Leo has an immensely worldwide viewpoint far beyond his American upbringing. Pope Leo may be a native English speaker with an American dialect; but it may take some time for us Americans to fully learn to understand what he is saying. To do so, we will need to listen to more than just one sentence taken out of context.