Source : Louis Robards
It ’ s said that the Church thinks in centuries and this is an era where the pope is evolving in real time
Church . We saw that most critically in his 2023 decision to allow priests to bless individuals who are in gay marriages or relationships – that ’ s a real pastoral shift in the Catholic Church , there ’ s no denying that . The year before , the pope came out backing all decriminalisation efforts , staunchly opposing laws that criminalise LGBTQ + individuals .”
Some will argue , however , that very little has changed . The Vatican ’ s opposition to Italy ’ s Legge Zan , a bill protecting LGBTQ + people from discrimination , is widely considered to be one of the reasons why the law was not passed . In June , Francis also apologised for using homophobic language in discussions over allowing gay men into seminaries . The pontiff has pledged to dedicate an event to the LGBTQ + community in the Jubilee , but the decision has been labelled as hypocritical when gay marriage continues to be forbidden in the Catholic Church and the Vatican ’ s rejection of gender theory has isolated trans individuals .
Perhaps resistance to change is a defining feature of the institution . “ It ’ s said that the church thinks in centuries and this is an area where the pope is evolving in real time ,” White argues . “ At the same time , he ’ s an 88- year-old who is honestly trying to navigate these experiences and the peoples that he has encountered with centuries of Catholic teaching . He is trying to reconcile the two .”
For now at least , attention towards this Jubilee is not on the Catholic Church ’ s progression but on the stamina of its elderly figurehead . Francis has spent long periods in hospital and , as if Edward Berger ’ s Conclave is playing out in real time , the future of the Argentinian ’ s papacy remains unclear .
The Jubilee will regardless remain a landmark event for the Catholic Church and its arrival has already shaped Italy ’ s image on the global stage . The question now is whether the Vatican , and Italy , can offer the same show of faith they put into transforming Rome ’ s landscape into providing a more progressive and inclusive future .
By Bruno Quinney ( He / Him ) // Final Year ; Italian , Portuguese and French .
Page 14