Pope Francis created a ‘seismic shift’ toward acceptance, LGBTQ Catholics say

It was a dramatic departure from the way the previous figureheads of the Holy See and church doctrine had often spoken about gay people, describing homosexuality as “an intrinsic moral evil” and an “objective disorder,” and the relatively accepting tone would go on to become a major theme of Francis’ papacy and, now, his complex legacy. Michael O’Loughlin, author of “Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear,” wrote a letter to Francis after O’Loughlin published his book to tell the pontiff about the conversations he had with Catholic nuns and priests who went against the teachings of the church at the time and worked behind the scenes to care for people dying from AIDS-related illnesses. “Instead of indifference, alienation and even condemnation, these people let themselves be moved by the mercy of the Father and allowed that to become their own life’s work; a discreet mercy, silent and hidden, but still capable of sustaining and restoring the life and history of each one of us,” Francis wrote.

Author: Jo Yurcaba

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