We wonder if Pope Francis's new tone on gays and lesbians would extend to San Francisco's unique Folsom Street Fair, where cage dancers and others will be prancing around South of Market wearing little to nothing. Whether he might bat an eye or not, the gigantic fetish street fair will be revealed in all of its glory Sunday, when hundreds of thousands of people descend on South of Market streets to take it all in.
The pope's surprising comments last week in an interview with America, a Jesuit magazine, indeed could usher in a new era for the Vatican. Francis was absolutely correct in his pronouncement that the Catholic Church is "obsessed" with same-sex marriage, abortion, and birth control and his advice that church leaders should shift their focus to the person, and emphasize compassion rather than damnation. The pope's comments will surely encourage Catholic families who are struggling with their LGBT children. Parents can look to the pope and realize, as National Center for Lesbian Rights Executive Director Kate Kendell told us, that they "now have permission to love LGBT people in their families ..."
In short, Francis, who answered "Who am I to judge" when he was asked for his opinion on homosexuality, is a pope focused on opening hearts and minds in a way that was sorely lacking from his predecessors.
Unfortunately, old habits are hard to break. We've already heard reports via the Huffington Post of an Australian priest who was excommunicated due to his support for same-sex marriage. This week the New York Times reported that a Catholic college in Rhode Island disinvited a gay philosophy professor who had been asked to speak about marriage equality. The school's provost made the announcement one day after Francis's interview was published and he called for the church to "find a new balance."
In our reporting on the pope's interview this week, we were surprised that the spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of San Francisco hinted that Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone might finally be ready to talk with LGBTs. "I think he is really going to engage more actively" in dialogue with the gay community, Christine A. Mugridge, director of media relations, told us. Cordileone, who previously served as the bishop of Oakland, has had two assignments in Bay Area cities with large and active LGBT populations, including many active and former Catholics.
We invite the archbishop to sit down with us for an interview as part of that dialogue. It would be a tremendous first step as local Catholics – gay and straight alike – try to find relevance in a church that has left many of them behind.