The tone of a Vatican statement that banned priests from blessing same-sex unions departed from Pope Francis’ usual pastoral approach to L.G.B.T. issues—though the pope assented to the document’s publication by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith last week. This weekend, the pope spoke against “theoretical condemnations,” offering as an alternative “gestures of love.” America’s Vatican correspondent, Gerard O’Connell, spoke with several Vatican officials who told him that the pope’s comments were an effort to distance himself from the document.
Why use anonymous sources for this claim? This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Gerry and host Colleen Dulle discuss the pope’s comments and why Vatican reporters often rely on anonymous sources.
In the latter half of the show, the hosts discuss Gerry’s recent interview with Vatican foreign minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher, which America is publishing in three parts this week. (Read Part 1 on the Middle East here and Part 2 on China here.) Archbishop Gallagher spoke about Pope Francis’ diplomatic goals for his recent Iraq trip and the Vatican’s larger goals for engagement in the Middle East and Asia.
Links from the show:
- Vatican sources suspect Pope Francis was distancing himself from CDF statement on same-sex unions in address
- Pope Francis’ trip to Iraq was a historic breakthrough. But will it lead to greater peace in the Middle East?
- Pope Francis spoke out against oppression in Myanmar. Why is he silent on China and Hong Kong?
