Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the
nation's largest LGBT advocate, has applauded Pope Francis' comments
stating that the Roman Catholic Church welcomes all.
In a wide-ranging interview released Thursday, Francis said that
the church should stop “obsessing” over its rules about abortion,
gay marriage and contraception.
“The church's pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the
transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed
insistently,” Francis said. “We have to find a new balance;
otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like
a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel.”
The pope also expanded on a previous comment that he does not
judge gay clergy.
“A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approve
of homosexuality,” Francis said in the interview. “I replied
with another question: 'Tell me: When God looks at a gay person, does
he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and
condemn this person?' We must always consider the person.”
(Related: Pope
Francis says Catholic Church should welcome all, gays included.)
“With these latest comments, Pope Francis has pressed the reset
button on the Roman Catholic Church’s treatment of LGBT people,
rolling back a years-long campaign at the highest levels of the
Church to oppose any measure of dignity or equality,” said
Griffin in a blog post. “Now, it’s time for the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops to catch up and drop their opposition
to even the most basic protections for LGBT people. Otherwise, they
risk being left far behind by American Catholics and this remarkable
pope.”
“For the sake of LGBT Catholics, it's essential that Pope
Francis' inspiring words lead to transformative change throughout the
church hierarchy,” he added.