John Simonelli, chair of The Oasis, the Diocese of Newark’s LGBTi Ministry, is quoted in this article.
[The Record] Pope Francis, in an unprecedented and candid press briefing Monday, appeared to break from the views of his predecessor by saying he accepts gay priests, perhaps opening the way for more inclusion of gays in the church, some experts said.
The pope talked with reporters on a flight from Brazil to Rome about no longer marginalizing gay people and integrating them into society. “If someone is gay and he searched for the Lord and has goodwill, who am I to judge?” Francis said.
The remarks, observers said, do not stray from Church doctrine, which holds that homosexual acts are a sin, but an inclination to homosexuality is not. However, they appeared to take a softer approach toward gays in the ministry than Pope Benedict XVI, who wrote in 2005 that men with “deep-seated” homosexual tendencies were not suited for the priesthood.
Francis made the comments in response to a question about a so-called gay lobby in the Vatican. They were part of a larger 80-minute conversation on a plane that was taking Francis home after one week in Brazil, his first overseas trip as pontiff.
“It was an optimistic statement,” said John Simonelli, of Paterson, a former Roman Catholic who now chairs the Episcopal Diocese of Newark’s outreach to gay people, called Oasis. He said that gay priests “had been living in fear that they would be outed and forced out of the church. I would say that this statement offers at least a glimmer of light. The culture of fear may be diminishing.”
Simonelli and others said that Francis’ statements, though they were in response to a question about gay priests, have implications for all gay Roman Catholics. They said they hope the statements lead to more discussion between bishops and gay parishioners, pointing to cases across the nation of gay people who have been forced to give up lay ministries.
