Quote of the Day

. . . Over the past several decades, under the papacies of John Paul II and Benedict XVI, our church has suffered because of the aggressively negative approach to issues of sexual orientation and gender identity that the hierarchy has taken. As a result of these condemnatory and hurtful messages, thousands upon thousands of people – both LGBT and heterosexual – have left the Catholic Church. Some have looked to other churches for a pastoral welcome, and some have given up on faith altogether.

Pope Francis has the opportunity to repair much of this hurt and alienation by offering sincere pastoral outreach to LGBT people and their families. A welcoming gesture from the new pope in the first month of his papacy can go a long way to express God’s love for all humanity. Without such a gesture, the church will continue to lose members, as well as credibility.

Pope Francis will need to go further than gestures, too. In the past few decades, Catholics in the United States and all over the globe have become increasingly welcoming of LGBT people. Catholics have gone to ballot boxes to ensure that LGBT people do not suffer from discrimination and violence, and that they receive equal benefits in society, including civil marriage. During that time, Catholic theologians, using modern research and evidence, have called for the Catholic Church to update its teachings and approach to sexuality, including sexual orientation, same-sex relationships, and gender identity. The Catholic Church is ready for the full acceptance of LGBT people in the church community. The only obstacle to recognition of the full dignity of LGBT people is the intransigence of the hierarchy. Through example and directive, the new pope can move the church toward full acceptance. . . .

– Bob Shine
"New Ways Ministry's Statement on the Election of Pope Francis"
Bonding 2.0
March 13, 2013

Related Off-site Links:
Cardinals Elect Pope Francis, Argentinean Jesuit Jorge Mario Bergoglio – Joshua J. McElwee (National Catholic Reporter, March 13, 2013).
Jorge Mario Bergoglio's Anti-Gay History – Cavan Sieczkowski (The Huffington Post, March 13, 2013).
New Pope Promises to Bring New Look to Church – Crispian Balmer and Philip Pullella (Reuters via Yahoo! News, March 13, 2013).
Do We Have a Little Deja Vu in Pope Francis? – Colleen Kochivar-Baker (Enlightened Catholicism, March 13, 2013).
Choice of Jorge Bergoglio as Pope Shows a Decisive Shift from Europe – Andrew Brown (The Guardian, March 13, 2013).
New Pope Chosen from Argentina, Carrying a Dark Past – Adele M. Stan (AlterNet, March 13, 2013).
Pope Francis: A Life in Pictures – The Guardian (March 13, 2013).
Pope Francis: Simple Image, Complex Past – Brian Murphy and Michael Warren (Associated Press via Chron.com, March 13, 2013).

UPDATES:
Pope Bergoglio – Joseph O'Leary (March 14, 2013).
The Pope Is Not the Church – Nathan Schneider (Religion Dispatches, March 14, 2013).
Papal Election Stirs Argentina's 'Dirty War' Past – Michael Warren (Associated Press via Yahoo! News, March 13, 2013).
Questions from a ‘Dirty War’ – Eugene Robinson (The Washington Post, March 14, 2013).
Why the First Latin American Pope Inspires Less Hope Than We Hoped – Tim Padgett (Time via Yahoo! News, March 14, 2013).
A Holy Pope – Jayden Cameron (Gay Mystics, March 14, 2013).
Coalition of Catholic LGBT Organizations Releases Statement on Papal Election – Bondings 2.0 (March 14, 2013).
New Pope Offers Little Hope to Vatican Critics - Wayne Besen (Truth Wins Out, March 14, 2013).
Pope Francis Has Mixed LGBT Legacy As Archbishop in Argentina – Bob Shine (Bondings 2.0, March 15, 2013).
A Different Kind of Pope – Terence Weldon (Queering the Church, March 15, 2013).
Pope Francis’ Junta Past: Argentine Journalist on New Pontiff’s Ties to Abduction of Jesuit Priests – Democracy Now! (March 14, 2013).
Priest Kidnapped by Junta: Reconciled with Pope – David Rising (Associated Press via Yahoo! News, March 15, 2013).
When Pope Francis Testified About the Dirty War – New Republic (March 14, 2013).
A Jesuit Pope? For Some, a Contradiction in Terms – Laurie Goodstein (New York Times, March 16, 2013).
Pope Francis' First Moves Hint at Break from Past – David Willey (BBC News, March 16, 2013).
Further Scrutiny Reveals Murky Marriage Equality Record for Pope Francis – Bob Shine (Bondings 2.0, March 17, 2012).
Records Show Pope Francis Supported Gay Unions – Christopher Hale (Millennial, March 16, 2013).
Pope Francis Approved of Gay Couple Adopting Child – Jayden Cameron (Gay Mystics, March 17, 2013).
Francis Emerges – Andrew Sullivan (The Daily Dish, March 16, 2013).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Progressive Perspectives on the Papacy (Part 1)
Progressive Perspectives on the Papacy (Part 2)
Progressive Perspectives on the Papacy (Part 3)
Beyond Papalism